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When Dora Moore teachers were first told they would be serving breakfast in the classroom....well...they (myself included) kind of freaked out. One reason we were concerned was loss of instructional time. We were also concerned about little critters. DPS is currently serving Breakfast After the Bell to 87 schools.
The Good
It was a learning experience in the beginning, and everyday brings about a new challenge. I am grateful for the program, because I am not hearing "I'm hungry", like I used to before this program. I do have a few complaints, and they have been heard. Also, I rarely have students falling asleep in class! This is a huge plus! I do not have data on the effects it has made in academic achievement. But working in an urban school and knowing my students have food in their belly is comforting.
The Bad and The Ugly
One day, I decided to count the grams of sugar that the students were taking into their bodies. IF, a child that particular day had breakfast with juice and/or sugar coated raisins and school lunch with chocolate milk, a frozen dessert and fresh fruit (not including afternoon snack and what happens at home), their total sugar intake for the day would have been over 100g (25 teaspoons)! By the end of the day, I was exhausted and many of the students were a bit cranky. But let me be clear, this DOES NOT happen daily! The students are served a variety of foods for breakfast through the week. And I am grateful for the Kaiser programs that have come in to teach DPS children the importance of nutrition, exercise, water intake and media time.
So what does sugar do to your child's body?
More Good
So...families...please help ME, educate your CHILD on making HEALTHY CHOICES.
