Beaver Dam Unified School District

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 National School Lunch Program released new meal and nutrition standards in January 2012, which are designed to improve the health and nutrition of students, while helping maintain a healthy weight.  The changes are part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. 

Some of the new USDA-directed requirements include:

• Fruits and Vegetables:
  -  Students will be offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week, doubling the amount currently offered.
  -  Each student must have at least ½ cup fruit and/or vegetable on their tray as part of their meal.
  -  Vegetable categories offered each week will be:
       ♦  ¾ cup orange or red vegetable
       ♦  ½ cup dark green vegetable
       ♦  ½ cup starchy vegetable (green peas, corn, white potatoes)
       ♦  ½ cup dried bean/peas (legume)
• Grains: At least half of the grains offered will be whole grain-rich.
• Milk: Non-flavored milk offerings are limited to 1% or skim (fat-fee).  All flavored milk, when offered, must be fat-free.
• Caloric Level: Minimum and maximum calorie levels are specified depending on the age of the student. The new age groupings are grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
• Other Standards: All menu items will be trans fat-free. There also will be limits on saturated fat and sodium.

Students now will be required to have ½ cup of fruit or vegetable on their tray for it to count as a full meal.  Anything less than a full meal will be charged as individual items.

Schools now are limited on how much meat/meat alternate and grains that can be offered. This means that some of the main dishes may not be as large as they have been in the past.  Remember though, there will be more fruits and vegetables available to fill out the meal and ensure students have plenty to eat!

The school nutrition program needs the support of parents to succeed. Parents can support this effort by encouraging your child to give the healthier meals a try, joining your child for lunch and talk about the healthy options, or simply introducing your child to these healthy changes at home. You are your child's primary role model, when they see you choose healthy foods they are more likely to choose them as well.

At the elementary level, please review the menus with your student 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!