Promote Start Smart
Promote Start Smart and Become a Breakfast Champion
What is A Breakfast Champion?
Many believe children eat at home and breakfast programs are not essential to the start of the school day. The truth is, more than 16% of children experience food insecurity in the state of Utah. Those who feel passionate about feeding children and ensuring they have access to all meals, including breakfast, are champions for change and champions for breakfast. If you feel it is important children start their day with a complete breakfast in schools, then you are a Breakfast Champion!
How it Started
Reports have found Utah ranking last in the nation for participation in school breakfast programs. This formed the partnership of the Utah Breakfast Expansion Team (UBET) comprised of non-profit organizations, local school districts, state agencies, universities, and the Utah State Board of Education. Being some of the first “Breakfast Champions,” UBET advocated for legislation branded as Start Smart Utah, to implement the start of breakfast programs in all schools for children across Utah to have better access to meals.
Who Can Join?
Anyone who wants to ensure students have access to breakfast can be a breakfast champion. Some ways to get involved are to reach out to your school’s administration and join the breakfast program planning process and promote it to your community and local leaders. Additionally, it is easy to get involved helping accomplish initiatives to end child hunger by joining UBET or their partnering organizations such as No Kid Hungry, Utahns Against Hunger, or your local Parent Teacher Association.
Utah Breakfast Champions
Breakfast Champion: Love and Care
Breakfast Champion: Sebasthian Veras
Breakfast Champion: Breakfast After the Bell
Breakfast Champions in School Breakfast
“I like to eat breakfast because it’s good for me. It fills me up and gives me energy."
– Emmanuel Labra, 4th grade, Guadalupe School
“Young minds work best when they have the fuel (food) necessary to be productive. Knowing that each of my students starts the day with a balanced breakfast sets the tone for the morning routine. It is a great way to start our day!”
—Brittany Burket, 2nd Grade, Copper Canyon Elementary School
“There are so many proven benefits that breakfast helps your body and mind. By eating breakfast you are fueling your body to have energy to get started for the day. Weber High offers a traditional breakfast before school started and a second chance breakfast. It has been so popular that they ran a second point of sale to get all the students through in a timely manner.”
—Kayleen Anderson, Food Service Director, Weber School District
Breakfast Champion Supporters
Check out these organizations who support breakfast for all children and the importance of fighting child hunger.
School Nutrition Association
Utahns Against Hunger
Parent Teacher Association
