Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia to present awards and prize money to both districts on Nov. 15
DENVER (Nov. 12, 2012) – Breakfast champion can be the new monikers for the Burlington and Wray school districts. Both excelled in the Colorado School Breakfast Challenge, an initiative supported by Gov. John Hickenlooper which challenged school districts to increase student participation in their breakfast programs during the 2011-12 school year. Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia will present the first- and second-place awards during a celebration in Wray, Colo. at 10:30 a.m. and another in Burlington at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15.
All Colorado school districts were invited to participate in the 2011-12 School Breakfast Challenge with one primary goal—to increase student participation in the School Breakfast Program. The program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, offers students with a healthy start to each school day; yet, according to the Colorado Department of Education, of the more than 217,000 low-income students in Colorado who ate a daily free or reduced-price lunch in 2010, only 87,000 participated in the School Breakfast Program.
School officials in the Burlington School District and the Wray School District rallied around the competition by implementing innovative serving models and engaging students. Wray offers universal-free Breakfast in the Classroom for kindergarteners through 4th graders, and they provide Grab and Go after second period for 5th through 12th grade students. The changed breakfast locations and time of service helped to encourage participation and showcase the importance of breakfast.
Burlington worked with the Western Dairy Association for their Fuel Up to Play 60 program, which empowered students to create and implement activities that reward them for making healthy choices. They received a grant from the association to cover start-up costs for their elementary school’s breakfast program. Due to its success, the breakfast program has been expanded to their middle school and will be incorporated into their high school this coming spring.
Both school districts concluded the statewide challenge as leaders in the challenge, showing notable growth in terms of participation. Amongst school districts with more than 40 percent free and reduced-price eligibility, Burlington placed first by increasing participation from zero to 87.02 percent among their schools with the School Breakfast. Wray placed second by increasing participation from 27.28 percent to 78.87 percent.
The school districts will be recognized as champions of the Colorado School Breakfast Challenge with on-site celebrations on Thursday, Nov. 15, led by Joe Garcia, the lieutenant governor of Colorado. Wray School District will receive their second-place award of $3,000 at Wray Elementary School, with the celebration beginning at 10:30 a.m., and then Burlington School District will be presented with the $5,000 first-place award at Burlington Elementary School, with their celebration beginning at 1:30 p.m.
The annual Colorado School Breakfast Challenge is presented by the No Kid Hungry Colorado Campaign, a statewide, public-private initiative of Hunger Free Colorado, Share Our Strength and the Office of Governor John Hickenlooper. Together, the Campaign partners are working to ensure that all children have nutritious food at home, at school and in their communities. Their comprehensive five-year plan details 10 goals to end child hunger by 2015, with one focusing on the statewide expansion of the School Breakfast Program. For the 2010-11 school year, 108,509 average daily school breakfasts were served, a growth of 11.25 percent compared to the previous year.
“The No Kid Hungry Colorado’s hope is all children in Colorado will have access to a nutritious breakfast that will help them learn and succeed in school,” shared Gov. John Hickenlooper. “We congratulate the Wray and Burlington school districts for being breakfast champions and increasing participation through this challenge.”
Studies show that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, particularly for children. Those who do not eat a regular, nutritious morning meal are more likely to struggle with poor academic performance, exhibit behavior problems and experience poor health. Eating breakfast can improve math and reading as well as standardized test scores. It also can decrease tardiness and suspensions as well as improve memory, attentiveness and overall health.
“One in five children in Colorado is at risk of hunger and a recent Share Our Strength survey showed three in five teachers say children regularly come to school hungry,” said Summer Gathercole, director for Share Our Strength Colorado. “Models like Breakfast in the Classroom make school breakfast more accessible and ensure our students are prepared to learn each day. The results show that simple changes to a school’s breakfast program can create long-lasting change.”
As part of the Campaign, Hunger Free Colorado works with schools and communities to increase participation in the School Breakfast Program by implementing innovative serving models that incorporate breakfast as part of the school’s morning routine. Instead of the traditional method of serving breakfast in the cafeteria before classes start, elementary to high schools can make it easier for students with Breakfast in the Classroom.
“The School Breakfast Program is proven to improve children’s nutrition, education, behavior and overall well- being, and it’s also one of the most effective ways to end child hunger in our state,” said Kathy Underhill, executive director of Hunger Free Colorado, the state’s leading anti-hunger organization. “The success by both the Wray and Burlington school districts shows we can provide more students with a nutritious start to the day and ensure fewer children go hungry at school.”
The complete list of winners are as follows, with data provided by the Colorado Department of Education:
- For school districts with 40 percent or higher free and reduced-price eligibility:
- Burlington School District awarded gold and $5,000 for an 87.02 percentage point increase
- Wray School District awarded silver and $3,000 for a 51.59 percentage point increase
- For school districts with under 40 percent free and reduced-price eligibility:
- West Grand School District awarded gold and $5,000 for a 27.69 percentage point increase in
- Ridgway School District awarded silver and $3,000 for a 27.4 percentage point increase
- For innovation in school breakfast programs:
- Northridge High School in Weld County School District 6 for their use of nutrition education materials and a breakfast satisfaction survey for students
- Bell Middle School in Jefferson County schools for revamping their cafeteria to mimic the look and feel of a coffee shop through a school-wide collaboration
- Stukey Elementary School in Adams 12 Five Star Schools for their Wake Up and Walk program where students and parents are encouraged to walk and eat breakfast together afterwards
For more information on the No Kid Hungry Colorado Campaign, visit NoKidHungry.com/Colorado. To learn more about the issue of hunger in Colorado and how you can help solve it, visit HungerFreeColorado.org.
Media Contact: Michelle Ray, Hunger Free Colorado, (720) 432-0255
Deborah James, Burlington School District, (719) 346-8166
Rosie Jones, Wray School District, (970) 332-5764