Press Releases

Homeroom Breakfast Program Earns Award for Hess Educational Complex

PHILADELPHIA (September 17, 2007) – The George L. Hess Educational Complex in Mays Landing, N.J., was honored today with an Expanding Breakfast Award and $1,000 grant.

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.

“Eating breakfast gives students a jumpstart to their days,” said Lu Ann Hemple, food service director. “The teachers have noticed that the students are more ready to learn and there are fewer disruptions.”

More than 35 percent of the students at Hess Educational Complex participate in the homeroom breakfast program. The healthy breakfast consists of lowfat milk, cereal, 100 percent unsweetened fruit juice and a variety of crackers. School breakfast participation increased 5 percent in the past year.

“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 school will use the $1,000 grant to purchase insulated coolers that will be used to keep milk and other breakfast items as cold as possible while they are transported from the cafeteria to classrooms. Hemple also plans to develop for parents a brochure that highlights the important role of a healthy breakfast in child development.

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.