A bagged breakfast that students can eat while they are outside playing before school starts has boosted breakfast participation by 20 percent at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in the Scranton (PA) School District. The program was developed by the district's foodservice provider, Aramark.
Kennedy participates in the Universal Breakfast program, so students don't have to pay for the meals, which consist of handheld items like whole grain toaster pastries, bagels, yogurts and fruits like apples served on a rotating basis, says Aramark General Manager Mike Sfarra. “Being able to take it outside makes a big difference,” he says.
The initiative will soon be introduced to a second elementary site in the district and perhaps more after that.
