EDUCATION

I knew I was on to something when I was swarmed by a bunch of kids in the schoolyard. I was delivering a tray of fruit and cheese to one of the portables at my son’s school. The kids were out for recess and saw me coming. One child politely asked if he could snag a piece of cheese. A smile and a nod from me and a couple more approached. My laughter signalled to the surrounding kids that the food was up for grabs and in moments every scrap was gone. These kids were excited about nutritious food!

I am one of the hard-working parent volunteers who staff the nutrition program at V K Greer Memorial Public School in Muskoka, Ont. When we began our program three years ago, we had no idea whether kids would turn their noses up at a healthy snack. But now it’s their enthusiasm that keeps us going.

Parents had been asking for years for some sort of nutrition program for our 290 kindergarten to grade-eight students. They wanted something early in the day for the many kids who arrive at school hungry. It’s a common story; there just isn’t time for breakfast in the rush to get out the door in the morning. In fact, the national student nutrition group, Breakfast for Learning, reports that 31 percent of elementary school students don’t eat breakfast daily. The child who arrives unfed will have problems with learning, concentration and behaviour.

Originally published in Today's Parent, February 2008