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Kansas City, MO (KCTV) — Everyone knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially for children.
But, a growing number of kids are skipping breakfast while at school and officials are worried as some students rely on school meals as their only meals for the day.
According to Kansas City Public Schools, only 50-percent of high school students say they eat breakfast at school. And, officials say that number is even lower at the elementary and middle school levels, were only 30-percent of kids eat breakfast at school, even if they qualify for free or reduced meals.
The North Kansas City School District faces a similar problem.
District officials say they have more than 20,000 students but only 4,800 of them eat the school breakfast.
On the other side of the state line, in Olathe, they are seeing the same thing. They have 30,000 students but only 5,500 breakfasts are served each day.
Jordan Gordon, Child Nutrition Director for Kansas City Public Schools, says there is a noticeable difference between those who eat breakfast and those who do not. But says, much of the time it is not the children’s fault when they do not eat breakfast.
“When you couple tardy students and oversleeping, bus delays and all the logistical challenges it takes to get to school, sometimes breakfast would be over before the student even arrived,” Gordon said.
To combat the growing number of students not eating breakfast at school, 36 schools in Kansas City will now get their breakfast delivered to the classroom for free.
It’s part of a new program that has begun during the start of the 2018-2019 school year.
Gordon says the district has families that have trouble getting nutritious meals. He says the goal of the program is to take away any stigma associated with qualifying for free or reduced meals so more kids will eat breakfast.
He says there is a noticeable difference in kids who eat breakfast every day.
“There’s a reduction in behavioral issues, there’s a reduction in school nurse visits and, most importantly, they’re more engaged throughout the day,” Gordon said.
Gordon says eating breakfast is especially important for those who depend on these meals.
“I think it’s fair to say that a lot of our students that we service come from families where food is a challenge and not readily accessible; and if it is, it’s perhaps not the most nutritious,” he said.
Gordon says he has already had other school districts in the Kansas City area and even in the St. Louis area reach out to him about the program.
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