When I finally drag myself out of bed, I barely have time to get myself and my kids dressed and out the door, and there is definitely not time to make them a nutritious breakfast. That’s one of the reasons that I was SO excited to hear about Fuel Up To Play 60 (FUTP 60), an in-school health and wellness program launched by National Dairy Council and the NFL, in collaboration with the USDA, that encourages today's youth to lead healthier lives.
As a nurse practitioner, I know that a healthy breakfast is essential for a successful day. But sadly, three out of four public school teachers of grades K-8 report that their students are coming to school hungry. That’s A LOT of kids whose academic performance could potentially be improved significantly simply by providing a Grab and Go Breakfast in the classroom.
And, school breakfast is not just about nutrition! It also provides an opportunity for social interactions that are crucial for development, something that students often miss out on throughout the day.
Recently, over 800 students at Broad Ripple High School benefitted from FUTP 60's healthy breakfast program during National School Breakfast Week. The students were extremely excited to meet Indianapolis Colt’s player Matt Overton, Blue, and two Colt’s cheerleaders. The District Superintendent, an Indiana Dairy Farmer, a Kroger rep, a rep from the regional USDA office, and other guests were also in attendance.
While FUTP 60 helps provide a solution to this problem by working with schools to make school breakfast more accessible to kids through alternative options such as Grab and Go, Second Chance Breakfast and Breakfast in the Classroom, it’s up to us to make sure that the kids in our community get to benefit from this amazing program! That’s why I am sending out the call to all parents, grandparents, community leaders, school stakeholders and students in Indy to take action for healthier kids. The kids of today are our future, and with approximately one in five households with children currently struggling to put food on the table at some time during the year*, initiating this program at every school in Indiana needs to be our goal.
So, what can you do? First, visit FuelUpToPlay60.com and check out all of the fabulous resources explaining how school breakfast can help our students. Next, use these resources! For example, show your local schools FUTP 60's Playbook by incorporating Breakfast – Anytime, Anywhere and A Hero’s Breakfast as examples on how to help encourage them to start a breakfast program and implement alternative breakfast options. Last, show others what has worked for you to help #FuelGreatness by being active in the conversations about FUTP 60 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Let’s help our kids #FuelGreatness here in Indy and all across Indiana!
https://youtu.be/tuZew9z4ZUQ
I was compensated for this article, all opinions are my own.
* Felling, Christy. "STATEMENT: Share Our Strength's Bill Shore on New USDA Food Insecurity Numbers | www.nokidhungry.org." STATEMENT: Share Our Strength's Bill Shore on New USDA Food Insecurity Numbers | www.nokidhungry.org. No Kid Hungry, 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
