To call attention to the importance of getting the school day off on the right foot, the U.S. Department of Agriculture commemorates National Nutrition Month – and this week, March 2-6, is National School Breakfast Week.
Tim English, an administrator for the USDA in the midwest region, told Fox 28 that breakfast still is the most important meal of the day in many regards.
In addition, the USDA says breakfast can lower the risk of being overweight and can improve academic performance. In areas where breakfast is free to students, it actually helps gets students to class on time.
USDA representatives are making the rounds at schools to help drive home the point that breakfast is important for students and adults alike.
The program was started in 1989 in an effort to educate parents and students about the link between eating breakfast and academic success.
In some areas of the country the week is being marked with free breakfast to students who skip meals. In Rutherford County, Tenn., for instance, children will have sausage, biscuits, yogurt, cereal and pancakes, WGNS reports.
In Tucson, Ariz., Fox 11 reports that thousands of students in the state qualify for free and reduced-priced breakfast and lunch. But regardless of income levels, the USDA and the Arizona Department of Education want all students to have a healthy meal.
Arizona schools serve only half as many free breakfasts as they do lunch, according to the DOE. The state is working on getting rid of the stigma that only "poor kids" eat free breakfast.
