Press Releases

Free Breakfast Pays $7,000 for Lower Township Schools

PHILADELPHIA (September 14, 2007) – Two Lower Township School District elementary schools in Cape May, N.J., were recognized today with Expanding Breakfast Awards for their innovative school breakfast programs. Maud Abrams School earned first place and a $5,000 grant, while Sandman Consolidated placed second and received $2,000 which will be used to develop and implement a “Boys On the Run” after-school program.

The Expanding Breakfast Award program, sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, was launched this year to call attention to the importance of alternate school breakfast programs. Offering breakfast outside of the classroom increases participation by providing service for children who arrive late or who prefer to socialize rather than eat, and by helping to remove the potential social stigma that the program is meant for low-income students.

“A nutritious breakfast is a great way for students to start their days,” said Barbara Dalrymple, principal of Maud Abrams School. “We realize children who eat breakfast are better able to focus on their schoolwork.”

More than 55 percent of the students at Maud Abrams and Sandman Consolidated participate in the universal free breakfast program, which allows students to eat in the classroom a healthy breakfast consisting of lowfat milk, whole grain cereal, 100 percent unsweetened fruit juice, a bread basket and bagel sticks.

The district’s universal free breakfast program started seven years ago with initial offerings of fruit juice, donuts and buns. As awareness of childhood obesity increased, Lower Township School District tailored its program to include lowfat milk and whole grain cereals, which better suit the district’s wellness policy. In the year the universal free breakfast program was introduced, visits to the school nurse dropped from 8,000 to 6,000 annually, which the nursing staff attributed to more children eating breakfast.

“The benefits children receive from eating a nutritious breakfast are numerous and well-documented,” said Kathy Kern, school marketing manager for Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association. “Eating breakfast yields better student test scores, increases concentration and attendance, decreases disciplinary problems and more.”

The schools will use a portion of the $7,000 grant to develop and implement a “Boys On the Run” after-school program, mirrored after the successful “Girls On the Run.” Boys will meet once a week to participate in physical activities and learn about nutrition. A portion of the grant will help purchase pedometers and healthy snacks.

Schools across New Jersey that offer a non-traditional breakfast program were eligible to enter the contest. The applications were reviewed by a panel of judges from Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and the National Dairy Council.

For more information about the Expanding Breakfast Awards or the Expanding Breakfast program for schools, please visit www.dairyspot.com.

Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, an affiliate of the National Dairy Council^®, provides nutrition education programs and services to schools in the Mid-Atlantic region. For more information, visit www.dairyspot.com.