Growing up, my Mami stressed the importance of breakfast. She knew it fueled my day, giving me the energy I needed to pay attention in school. Today, research shows school breakfast participation has been linked to fewer occurrences of student hunger, decreased tardiness and absenteeism, as well as, improved focus and cognitive abilities. Children who eat breakfast perform better academically and experience fewer visits to the school nurse. So, Mami was right - breakfast is important! 

Unfortunately, the traditional breakfast model where students eat in the cafeteria before the morning bell rings does little to ensure all students eat a healthy breakfast daily. Late bus schedules, long security lines, late arrivals, and the "poor kid" stigma associated with the program have contributed to low participation in the school breakfast program. A report issued earlier this year by the Food Research and Action Center found that for every 100 low-income children eating school lunch, only 51 ate school breakfast. With one change the number of students eating school breakfast dramatically changes, removing the "poor kid' stigma.

Schools and states that shifted serving breakfast from the cafeteria, and into the classroom, saw dramatic increases in the number of children eating school breakfast.

Join #FoodFri, on August 15, 2014 at 1 p.m., EST, with @MomsRising and @FRACtweets to promote the link between school breakfast and student achievement! Let's spread the word that school breakfast participation improves educational outcomes for school children nationwide!

It's not a "poor kid" issue. It's about healthy children. Join us and spread the word! 

To join and follow the conversation on Twitter use the #FoodFri Hashtag in each tweet.

You can also follow the chat on Twubs.com/FoodFri. Twubs allows you to follow MomsRising’s registered hashtags by creating an account. Below I have noted the steps.

1. Create an account using an email or your Twitter account.
2. Enter the desired hashtag, #FoodFri, #WellnessWed or #EcoTipTue, in the search box found at the top of the page. Click Enter. A new page will open with the desired chat.
3. Find the “Join This Twub” button found on the right-hand side bar and join the group.
4. Adjust the speed of the conversation to your liking. Options are: Fast, Medium, Slow, Slower, or Slowest.
5. Introduce yourself and join the conversation, by entering your comment, tips, or questions in the “Tweet to #FoodFri as [YourName] box”
6. Or, respond to a specific tweet by hovering over the right-hand side of the individual’s tweet and selecting one of the icons.

More about our #FoodFri Featured Panelists:

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The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) is the leading national nonprofit organization working to improve public policies and public-private partnerships to eradicate hunger and undernutrition in the United States.To learn more about FRAC's work, visit their website, frac.org. You can also follow FRAC on Twitter and Facebook.