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It is a fact: Hungry children struggle to learn. But making sure all students have access to adequate, nutritious meals takes innovation and collaboration. The Ohio School Breakfast Challenge recently recognized 22 Ohio districts who have embraced that mission, naming them Breakfast and Beyond Super Star districts. We're taking a look at some of the newest success stories while looking back at our conversations with previous honorees.
It is a fact: Hungry children struggle to learn. But making sure all students have access to adequate, nutritious meals takes innovation and collaboration. The Ohio School Breakfast Challenge recently recognized 22 Ohio districts who have embraced that mission, naming them Breakfast and Beyond Super Star districts. We're taking a look at some of the newest success stories while looking back at our conversations with previous honorees.
Ohio's public schools serve 1.6 million children - 90 percent of students in the state! What happens in the classroom has impacts far beyond the walls of the K-12 school building or higher ed lecture hall. So, on behalf of the 120,000 members of the Ohio Education Association, we're taking a deeper dive into some of the many education issues facing our students, educators, and communities. Originally launched in 2021 as Education Matters, Public Education Matters is your source for insightful conversations with the people who shape the education landscape in Ohio. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on Public Education Matters? Email us at educationmatters@ohea.org
Transcribed by https://otter.ai. Please excuse any errors.
Intro 0:07
This is Education Matters brought to you by the Ohio Education Association.
Katie Olmsted 0:15
Thank you for joining us for this edition of Education Matters your source for insightful conversations about the big issues facing Ohio's public schools. I'm your host, Katie Olmstead. And I'm part of the communications team for the Ohio Education Association and it's 120,000 members. We represent teachers, education support professionals, and higher ed faculty members who have a lot in common. They share a passion for education, a dedication to Ohio's 1.7 million public school students, and the knowledge that hungry kids can not focus. That's why school nutrition programs are so vitally important for students success. Here's how Indian Creek Education Association president Karen Lloyd put it in the first season of Education Matters.
Unknown Speaker 1:09
We need that nourishment in their bellies in order to nourish their brains. They're not thinking straight if their stomach is grumbling.
Katie Olmsted 1:17
That was a small part of our conversation with Karen back in April 2021. As we took a closer look at the Breakfast in the Classroom program in some Ohio districts as part of a push to expand that campaign. We'll get back to that conversation in this episode in just a couple of minutes. But first, an update. The Ohio Education Association wants to extend a warm congratulations to the 22 Ohio school districts that have been named 2021 2020 to breakfast and beyond superstars by the Ohio School Breakfast Challenge. That's a partnership between the children's Hunger Alliance, American Dairy Association, School Nutrition Association of Ohio and the Ohio Department of Education. And OEA has been proud to support its work over the years. For example, last spring, OEA joined forces with the Children's Hunger Alliance to host an informational session on Zoom for OEA local associations across the state to share their successes, and learn more about how they can advocate for students success through participating in the Breakfast in the Classroom program. OEA President Scott DiMauro kicked off that session, take a listen to a little of what he said.
Scott DiMauro 2:35
Eligibility, like I said, is only part of the story. The other story is how we, as schools, provide access to healthy meals makes a big difference in terms of how many students participate. A few years ago, we had the wonderful opportunity with the support of the NEA foundation and national partners to promote a method of expanding student participation through a grant for breakfast in the classroom. The short story is that when we give kids access to a breakfast where they're not required to come earlier, and to go to a part of the school that's separate from everybody else, they're much more likely to participate. We know that this is important for kids because when kids are well fed in the morning, they are going to perform better they're going to they're going to be better equipped to succeed. There's the the old adage, we're about it all the time that we've got to address Maslow before blue, we have to make sure that that we're meeting fundamental needs of students before we can expect to really engage them in learning and there's plenty of evidence along those lines.
Katie Olmsted 3:50
Now, that innovation that Scott talked about in the zoom session last spring, finding new better ways to get more kids to participate in a school based feeding program is exactly the kind of thing being celebrated by the School Breakfast Challenge programs breakfast and beyond campaign now, the 22 newly minted superstar districts achieved that recognition for their excellence, innovative and collaborative work to increase access and participation in school meals. One example, the Pickaway Ross Career and Technology Center, one of the programs that earned the superstar status this year. That's because they combined the efforts of the school cafeteria, and the commercial food Careers Program, giving students more opportunities to get real life experience and making sure their classmates were fed and ready to learn. The commercial food career students helped with meal prep and service, which went a long way toward lessening the impact of staff shortages. And because of all the additional help from students to prep the food Food, the school was able to reintroduce hot breakfast options for the kids. Moreover, they were also able to increase the number of lunch periods, adding two more lunch periods each day. And they were able to expand the number of vendors to procure food and supplies. That collaboration truly was a win win for the students and the school. And that's just one of the success stories being celebrated by the School Breakfast Challenge program. OEA members in the following districts all deserve a huge round of applause for their work, which earned their schools the breakfast and beyond superstar recognition. That's Anthony Wayne local schools, Austin town local schools, Benjamin Logan Education Association members in Benjamin local schools, the staff at Bloomfield mesco Local Schools, bright local schools Clark Shawnee local schools, Elgin local schools, Fairview Park Graham local and groveport Madison schools. Also on the list, Howland High School in Holland local schools and Shenandoah Elementary School ennoble local schools, plus North Olmstead city schools, Portsmouth city schools, Princeton city schools, Ravenna city schools, St. Mary's city schools, and Valley local schools. All of these districts are being held up as shining examples of school meal programs that are demonstrating collaborative efforts, innovative strategies and practices to maximize resources to expand access to school meals. I mean, think about it, kids spend more than 2000 hours at school each year. So as the School Breakfast Challenge, folks say, it makes sense that schools are a place to encourage students to quote, eat right and be bright. after all. The research shows that keeping kids well fed and just making sure they have breakfast, improves attendance, behavior, classroom participation, concentration, math and reading scores, cognitive test speed, and vocabulary. And it decreases anxiety school nurse visits and tardiness. Those positive benefits were top of mind for local association leaders in the Logan Hawkins school district when we were talking about their Breakfast in the Classroom program last season here on Education Matters. Logan Hopkins schools we're a 2019, champion of breakfast award winner through the Ohio School Breakfast Challenge. So we sat down with Logan Education Association, President Brenda lemon, a school librarian, and Logan Education Association, Vice President Sherry, not a second grade teacher to talk about what was working with them. Let's listen to part of that conversation. Brenda Sherry, thank you so much for joining us for this edition of Education Matters. We're talking about the Breakfast in the Classroom program. For people who are unfamiliar with this. What is that?
Unknown Speaker 8:03
Well, thanks for having us here. Basically, it's feeding kids breakfast, at school after the start of the day. That way, they can come in, they can grab their food, they can eat with their peers, and be there on time, every day to enjoy breakfast with their peers.
Katie Olmsted 8:24
This is not how breakfast was always served in the logon district though Sherry You are telling me they used to be in the cafeteria. And that made a difference?
Unknown Speaker 8:33
Yes. Previously, students would wait in line in the cafeteria. Sometimes the line could get pretty long. And so some students would decide, you know, just to skip breakfast and head down to the classroom. Or maybe they were embarrassed to stand in that line. Their friends weren't in that line. So they decided just to head down the class and they would start their day on an empty stomach.
Katie Olmsted 8:57
Why is that a problem?
Unknown Speaker 8:59
It's a big problem. Because you get a lot of complaints about tummy aches throughout the day, students missing out on their breakfast, you know, they say that's the most important meal of the day. And so with breakfast in the classroom, are all being fed, they all get to eat. And it's cut down on those complaints about their tummy and being hungry so that we can focus more on our education.
Unknown Speaker 9:23
And if I can add for high school students, that waiting in line being there, being singled out eating breakfast is stigmatizing for older kids, and they're just not going to do it even if they're hungry. So it's really important that they that everybody gets breakfast and there is no stigma attached to it. Anyone who wants to eat can eat
Katie Olmsted 9:46
in the Logan district. Are there a fair amount of students who need breakfast at school or they wouldn't get it at all?
Unknown Speaker 9:53
This is Sherry. I don't know the exact number but we have a lot of families that would qualify for free or reduced me No,
Unknown Speaker 10:00
absolutely. And by the state standards, we know, one in five families out there facing food insecurity. And given that we are a rural district, that we are on that edge of Appalachia, that our numbers could certainly skew higher than that. So we know that there are students who are hungry, and yes, our free and reduced lunch numbers are pretty high.
Katie Olmsted 10:22
So how does this program work? How do you make it possible to give every student breakfast,
Unknown Speaker 10:29
this is Brenda, we started by learning what other districts do and how they provide breakfast. We researched grants that were available to us, we employed the help of some folks at Children's Hunger Alliance, who helped us pilot things and and learn how we might be able to do this. And our, our local union, worked very hard to advocate for it. We spoke with the superintendent, got his support, work with the Assistant Superintendent got her support, worked with the administrators in each of the buildings, and they came on board. You know, the message was if we can feed kids, let's do it. And we started working in that in that way. There were two unions to employ unions in our district. And we met with them, got their input got their ideas. And sure there were concerns about students eating in some areas of buildings and things like that. But once we had that buy in, and we were all able to give our ideas and our input, I feel like it just it took off for us.
Katie Olmsted 11:40
So how long have you been part of the Breakfast in the Classroom program,
Unknown Speaker 11:44
we began doing the research and figuring out how it might work, actually in the 2016, back in 2016. In 2017, we implemented the program in our elementaries. And then in 2018, we started with the middle school expansion. And then now this year, we're working with, with our high school kids, our high school students now have a grab and go breakfast every day as well.
Katie Olmsted 12:12
How's it going? What difference Have you seen,
Unknown Speaker 12:14
I like the start to the day so much better. It's more like a family. You know, we're all eating together and talking and starting our day off with that family feeling. And then we just go right into the school day. I mean, I I hand out morning work. So they're working and eating and talking all at the same time. And then we just begin our day.
Unknown Speaker 12:37
And this is Brenda, we've had to adjust our bell schedule a little bit in order to make everything work with buses. And because our middle school and our high school are on the same schedule, and they have to drop students off in one building and come to another. And in doing that, we thought about how breakfast might fit best in that plan. And we're seeing the high school kids come in a little bit earlier. For them, it's actually probably not earlier, but they're coming in, they're grabbing their breakfast, and then they're going to their classroom, instead of standing outside waiting for the bell to ring. And then everybody comes in at once. And one of our principals described it as more of a soft start to the day. So the students instead of coming in and just sitting around in the cafeteria, or the gymnasium until the bell rings, and then they're allowed to come on into the building. They're actually allowed to come in a little bit earlier. Grab that breakfast, head to class, and they're there in their first period class. I've seen students getting their breakfast in the mornings when I come in. I know there are several points where they can pick up breakfast. And not every single student will have that breakfast. But just the other day, as I came in, I heard the cook who was standing there saying oh, you snuck up on me again. You're the quietest you always come in and get behind me when you grab your breakfast. So it was a student who was coming there every day, getting breakfast and interacting with that adult in a positive way. They were joking. They were laughing. And I just thought it was a great way to start today.
Katie Olmsted 14:10
Do you think it helps students get their heads in the game as well? We know that hungry students cannot focus in school and being fed is one of the fundamentals of academic success. But in terms of just starting their day in that way that is in school but isn't, you know, hard lessons to start with. Do you think that helps them?
Unknown Speaker 14:31
Well, it absolutely has to help them. They aren't starting the day as Sherry son with a headache or stomach ache. Most adults to grab something in the morning. I'm not one who can get out of bed and eat quickly. But as soon as I get to work, I've got my granola bar or my banana or something that I'm going to eat. You know, kids are exactly the same. And they're going to want to have something get get there as you said get their head in the game. Wake up and get started, I absolutely believe that it helps them learn, it gets them to school. They know that when they get there, even if they're running a little behind the mornings a little crazy that there's going to be something to eat. On the high school level, I see a lot of students who opt for things that aren't the healthiest in the mornings. And I know that if they get something from the School Breakfast Program, they're getting something that is of quality for them as well.
Katie Olmsted 15:30
During that same Education Matters episode we also heard from Karen Lloyd and Indian Creek Schools, we also heard from at the top of this show, let's hear more from our earlier conversation with her to Karen, thank you so much for sitting down with us today. Talk to me a little bit about the Breakfast in the Classroom program in your district.
Unknown Speaker 15:51
Sure. Thank you for having me. First off, and I would like to say that Indian Creek Education Association brought it back from OEA from one of our RAS. And we brought it to our district. And they were very open to it. And we as the teachers really backed the program, we wanted to ensure that our children were eating, we found that there was a lag in work and an increase in behaviors about the mid morning after the kids came to school. And we thought that maybe this might help if all the children would eat breakfast. And we had struggled with all the children eating breakfast, because some did not want to go to the cafeteria, whether it be because they wanted to get their morning work done, or they did not want to go down because it was noisy. We had children roaming the hallways. So we just thought that this would be a great opportunity to implement something that maybe might curb those wandering children, those children that you know, had sensory issues with the loud cafeteria, and just get nourishment into the children that were maybe even embarrassed to go down and get a breakfast.
Katie Olmsted 17:11
And we know how important breakfast is, in terms of setting students up for success. Let's talk a little bit about the demographics of your district. How many students wouldn't have breakfast without this program, or one
Unknown Speaker 17:23
of our elementary schools is completely free breakfast and lunch because they have such a high demand of low income and free and reduced lunch and breakfast. So because we had the one district the elementary school that did have it in our other elementary school was right on the cusp of meeting the government guidelines. Our district felt it was important that even though that second group did not offer it, that they would pull funds together and they would pay to have that. And since it has been such a success, we have also had more students come in, fill out the paperwork. And we have actually reached probably 70% of our our district as needing free and reduced lunch guidelines.
Katie Olmsted 18:13
So clearly, this is a very important program, and it's a successful program in the creek was just recognized as a breakfast and beyond district. What does that mean?
Unknown Speaker 18:25
Well, it means that we started out with breakfast free breakfast in the morning, we went to feeding children before they went home. We also feed them during the summer. And now we even offer bags for students over the weekend. So we send food home to those that are in need so that they have something to eat over the weekends.
Katie Olmsted 18:50
Of course, you can hear more about the Indian Creek program and the Logan hocking program if you listen to the full breakfast in the classroom episode, that's season one, episode 14 of this podcast if you're looking for it, we'll have the link in the show notes for this episode to make it easier for you to find. And you'll also find a link there to learn more about the success stories from all of this year's breakfast and beyond superstar honorees. Speaking of big honors, next week, we're sitting down with Ohio Teacher of the Year now National Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell for a fresh take on his time in the national spotlight so far, and how he's using his platform to make sure all children can see themselves in their curriculum, and in the educators who are serving them in their classrooms. That will be the final episode of this season of Education Matters before we take a summer break, and you won't want to miss it. In fact, why don't you just go ahead and subscribe to Education Matters right now wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a thing. Until next time, stay well
Transcribed by https://otter.ai