Barren county school feeds children breakfast with an eye toward academic success

GLASGOW Ky.- North Jackson Elementary School in Glasgow works to ensure their students are full and focused with a free breakfast Monday through Friday. As the school celebrates National Breakfast Week, early childhood development experts tout the importance of the day’s first meal to overall student success in school.

Principal Jeanie London explains why a healthy breakfast is essential in fueling the minds of the young learners.

“It’s very important to jump out of bed in the mornings, and one of the first things they need to do is eat a good, healthy breakfast to get that brain stimulated, to get things going so that they can be more attentive, they can be more focused throughout the day. Their little tummies start to growl around 10 or 11 o clock. If they haven’t eaten breakfast, it can be detrimental to their performance in the classroom,” London said.

National Breakfast Week is a great opportunity to serve the kids in multiple ways including nutritional instruction, Director of Nutritional Services CheyAnne Fant said.

“It’s been an educational opportunity, as well as an opportunity for us to increase breakfast participation for all of our students,” Fant said.

Fant also emphasized the importance of starting the day with a balanced breakfast, and how it all starts with a helping hand from the school.