Thus, the Michigan Department of Education mandates that school districts and independent schools take part in the National School Lunch Program. Schools are then eligible for cash subsidies and donated commodities from the U.S. Department of Agri-culture for each meal they serve. In return, they must serve meals that meet federal nutrition requirements, and they must offer free or reduced-priced meals to eligible children. Breakfast was once thought of as a unique parental responsibility. However, with so many working parents, early and long bus rides, skipping breakfast isn't simply an issue of feeding economically needy children.
Breakfast is the key to a good start every morning.
This is especially true for children because they are growing and changing everyday. Breakfast provides a vital nutritional boost every morning to get their learning process going. A Minnesota study concluded that children who ate breakfast averaged math grades almost a whole grade higher than students who rarely ate school breakfast. Regulations also establish a standard for school breakfasts to provide one-third of the Recommended Daily Allowances of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories. Nutrition specialists view the food groups as a pyramid, with the smallest number of servings at the peak and largest at the base.