Walmart has announced a $3 million program, in partnership with the Food Research and Action Center, NAESP Foundation and the School Nutrition Foundation to support and pomote the “Breakfast in the Classroom” inititative.

Fact: There are more than 25 million children in our nation’s elementary and middle schools, many of whom come to school hungry.  What happens next is heartbreaking.  Their attention spans shorten.  Their energy levels plummet.  Their productivity wanes.  Learning suffers.  Lives suffer.

Fact:  Eating breakfast at school helps children learn.  Studies show that children who eat breakfast at the start of their school day have higher math and reading scores.  They have sharper memory and show faster speed on cognitive tests.  They have broader vocabularies. They do better on standardized tests.  They focus better and behave better.

With Breakfast in the Classroom, breakfast becomes available to everyone – no matter their income level  – and it’s served after the opening bell. This makes it easier for all children to easily participate.  Children eat together in the classroom, usually the homeroom, at the start of the school day. They enjoy nutritionally well-balanced foods like breakfast wraps, yogurt, or fruit served directly in their classroom or grabbed from a cart in the hallway.  Check out the website here for more information.