Governor Bredesen Announces School Breakfast Week

Nashville , TN- Governor Phil Bredesen has proclaimed March 6-10 School Breakfast Week in Tennessee i n recognition of the important role the National School Breakfast Program plays in the lives of Tennessee students.

Research has demonstrated that breakfast at school has dramatic effects on student performance, including improved math and reading test scores, decreased absences and tardiness and improved attention and behavior.

“Whether your children’s favorite part of school is P.E., math, science or art, their bodies need the right foods to perform well,” Bredesen said. “The School Breakfast Program affords students a nutritious start to the school day and allows them to concentrate on the critical task of learning.”

The theme for National School Breakfast Week 2006 is “Go Places with School Breakfast.” It aims to show students how eating a healthy breakfast every morning contributes to a path toward a terrific future filled with promise and adventure.

More than 240,000 Tennessee children participate in the school breakfast program. Each meal provides 25 percent of the recommended daily allowance of protein, calcium, iron and vitamins A and C.

“Whether a child is too sleepy to eat breakfast before he leaves home, or is not hungry when he catches an early bus, he can get an inexpensive, nutritious breakfast at school,” said Sarah White, director of school nutrition for the Tennessee State Department of Education.

Founded in 1966, the National School Breakfast Program is funded through the United States Department of Agriculture. Every day an average of 8.4 million students eat breakfast in 78% of the nation’s schools.