Breakfast Program Information

The School Breakfast Program is a federally assisted meal program that operates in public and private schools in Wisconsin. Many different types of schools serve breakfast, elementary through high school, rural and urban. The School Breakfast Program operates very similarly to the School Lunch Program. Both programs allow children to qualify for free or reduced priced meals, based on their family’s income.

Facts About Breakfast:
• Not all students eat breakfast at home due to lack of time or they may not be hungry.
• Middle and high school students are less likely to eat breakfast than elementary school students.
• Nationally, 16% of school-aged children do not eat breakfast and in smaller Wisconsin studies it is estimated that between 10-30% of students do not eat breakfast on any given day.

Benefits of Breakfast:
Breakfast improves the quality of childrens' diets, enhances academic performance, improves student behavior and improves the learning environment in school.  All students have the opportunity to have warm entrees for breakfast.  The menu is set up on a 5 week menu cycle and can be viewed on the Breakfast & Lunch Program / Menus page.  Parents are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity for their child if time is a factor in the morning.

Required Nutritional Quantities:
Breakfast must contain ¼ of a child’s daily requirement for calories, protein. Calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C. No more than 30% of calories can come from fat, with no more than 10% of calories as saturated fat.

Generally breakfast contains a serving of milk, fruit or fruit juice, and 2 servings from the grains or meat/meat alternate group (1 serving from each).

Eligibility:
All students are able to purchase a meal as part of the School Breakfast Program. Students eligible for free or reduced lunch are automatically approved for free or reduced breakfast. Parents are required to complete the free and reduced application every year.

Lunch Program Information

The School Lunch Program is a result of the National School Lunch Act of 1946. This Act was established to safeguard the health and well being of school aged children. Its purpose is to:

1) Provide nutritious, reasonably priced meals;

2) Contribute to a better understanding of nutritious; and

3) Foster good eating habits.

The objective of the School Lunch Program is to serve the students one-third of the recommended daily allowances, 665 calories for K-5 students and 825 calories for 6-12 students, with no more than 30% of the calories coming from fat and no more than 10% coming from saturated fats. In order to achieve this, the district’s program is required to serve certain quantities of food every day to every student who purchases or is eligible to receive a school lunch.

The Food Based Offer vs.Serve Guidelines that the Beaver Dam Unified School District follows is one part of the lunch program. This means the lunch program must offer the five (5) meal components (meat, fruits, vegetables, grains/bread, milk).

At the elementary level, the student needs to take 4 of the 5 meal components offered. The student may elect to refuse one food item. At the schools that receive the pre-pack system, the students will have to take both the hot and cold pack, but may elect to skip the bun (if served separately).

At the Middle School and High School level, students may decline 2 of the 5 meal components. The district encourages students to take all of the meal components offered.

At the elementary level, please review the menus with your child to help them decide what they would like to eat for the day. Please encourage your child to try new food items (or at least take a taste).

We hope students enjoy the variety of food offered in the school lunch program. Have a great year!