The Breakfast Program
The aim of the Breakfast Program is to provide an incentive for students to attend classes, instead of staying home as they do currently.
A Breakfast Program was implement on Friday, February 18, 2011 at Trench Town Primary School; serving 76 students (approximately 42% of the student population). The numbers and percentage increased over a period of one (1) year, as the Breakfast Program was shared within the community.
The Trench Town Primary School Breakfast Program will allow us to pilot a one year effort to determine if our organization can effectively make an impact, while ensuring students are fed prior to entering the classrooms.
In an article dated January 24, 2011, in the Jamaica Gleaner titled “Trench Town Primary Fights the Odds”, the principal of the school, Ms. Merline Sewell-Sullivan lamented that “most days, the only meal most of these children have are the ones they get at school. Sometimes they come to school not eating anything the night before, much less breakfast.”
Studies have shown that access to nutritious programs such as the School Breakfast Program helps to create a strong learning environment for children and helps to improve children’s concentration in the classroom.
Providing breakfast in the classroom has been shown in several instances to improve attentiveness and academic performance, while reducing tardiness and disciplinary referrals.
Students who eat a complete breakfast have been shown to make fewer mistakes and work faster in math exercises than those who eat a partial breakfast. Studies also suggest that eating breakfast closer to the classroom and test-taking time improves student performance on standardized tests relative to students who skip breakfast.
Studies show too, that students who skip breakfast are more likely to have difficulty distinguishing among similar images, show increased errors, and have slower memory recall;
Children who live in families that experience hunger have been shown to be more likely to have lower math scores, face an increased likelihood of repeating a grade, and receive more special education services.
There are also studies that suggest that children who eat breakfast have more adequate nutrition and intake of nutrients, such as calcium, fiber, protein, and vitamins A, E, D, and B-6.
Click here to read the news article relating to our organization's Breakfast Program at Trench Town Primary School.
We are pleased to announce that The Breakfast Program for 2012/2013 will be at the Fresh Fire Basic School and the Golden Kiddies Kingdom Nursery and Kindergarten, to provide an incentive for students to attend classes, instead of staying home as they do currently.
