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Home > Students & Families > Health & Safety > School Breakfast Challenge

School Breakfast Challenge

Eating breakfast at school helps children perform better in the classroom.

Research finds that students who eat breakfast attend more days of school and score 17.5 percent higher on math tests. More days in the classroom and higher test scores set students on a path to graduate and earn higher wages.

While the federal government helps subsidize the costs of breakfast for many students, the traditional model of serving breakfast in the cafeteria before class often does not reach all the students who need it. Only a little more than one-half of Rhode Island kids who depend on school lunch start their days with school breakfast. That leaves almost 28,000 kids in Rhode Island who come to class hungry every morning.

Alternative breakfast models offer an opportunity to feed more children by making breakfast more convenient for students. By making breakfast a part of the school day, participation in school breakfast dramatically increases because it is convenient and accessible to all.

The Challenge

What is the Rhode Island Challenge?

From Monday, November 6 through Friday, May 4, 2018, the Governor, First Gentleman, and Commissioner Wagner will challenge schools across Rhode Island to increase their participation in school breakfast programs.

As more kids participate in school breakfast, chances for winning will increase!

Statewide Goals

Ensure that all Rhode Island students receive adequate breakfast
Get more districts and schools in Rhode Island to take advantage of breakfast, afterschool, and summer food programs
Help schools identify creative approaches to supporting innovation in breakfast models and out-of-school meals programs

How can you get involved?

We welcome sign ups from superintendents, principals, teachers, and school or district nutrition staff. Anyone interested in enrolling their school or district can join by filling out a brief form. We will follow up once we review your application.

How could you increase participation at your school?

Alternative breakfast models, such as Breakfast on the go, can help increase breakfast participation at your school or district. Click on “Resources for Schools” for more information on how you can implement an alternative breakfast model, or for other resources and materials.

Challenge Categories

The “Breakfast Champions” Category for all schools (any type) that achieve a 20% increase in breakfast participation and have adopted an alternative delivery model
1 “K-8 Challenge Winner” for the K-8 school that improves breakfast participation the most across the state (schools that have already adopted innovative models are eligible)
1 “High School Challenge Winner” for the high school that improves breakfast participation the most across the state (schools that have already adopted innovative models are eligible)

For additional information on the categories, please review the Additional Challenge Details section on this page.

On October 13, Commissioner Wagner announced the Rhode Island Breakfast Challenge at the RI Healthy Schools Coalition Breakfast for School Wellness event.

Timeline

Monday, November 6 through Wednesday, November 15, 2017: Kick Off Events and Challenge Announcement
Monday, November 6 through Monday, December 4, 2017: School Application Submission
Monday, December 4, 2017: Challenge Measurement Begins
Friday, May 4, 2018: Breakfast Challenge Concludes
Early June 2018: Winners Announced

Join the Breakfast Challenge

Additional Challenge Details

Eligibility and Winning Criteria

All Rhode Island public schools with a student enrollment over 100 can enter into the challenge. Schools are eligible to win in one category. The school district Superintendent must endorse participation by co-signing a letter to all eligible principals in their school district and submit by the end of the application period.

New Adopter Winner

Eligibility: Any school that is that is currently only serving traditional breakfast (served and consumed in the cafeteria) in the 2017 school year is eligible to participate in this category.
Prize: Banner, Letter from Governor and Commissioner, Celebration Event and Promotion
Rules:
- The school must start a new alternative breakfast model (e.g. Breakfast After the Bell, Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab and Go, Second Chance, or a combination thereof.) during the competition
- The winner will have adopted an alternative breakfast model and increase breakfast participation at their school by 20%.
- The school should also have various breakfast marketing techniques highlighting the breakfast model they adopted at their school in order to be eligible to enter in this category.
- The school must submit “proof” at any time during the Challenge period or in the breakfast challenge exit survey by the end of the competition in order to be eligible for a prize.
- Acceptable proof includes the following; pictures or videos of the breakfast model implemented at their school, sample tweets or other social media advertising (e.g. Facebook posts, created a hash tag, Instagram photo, etc.), recordings of morning/afternoon announcements or any printed materials given to students or families can be submitted

Statewide Most Improved K-8 School Winner

Eligibility: All schools, including those that are currently serving an alternative breakfast model (e.g. Breakfast After the Bell, Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab and Go, Second Chance, or a combination thereof)
Prize: $1000 prize.
Rule: The school that has the highest increase in participation from the grant period in the preceding year to this year will win.

Statewide Most Improved High School Winner

Eligibility: All schools, including those that are currently serving an alternative breakfast model (e.g. Breakfast After the Bell, Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab and Go, Second Chance, or a combination thereof)
Prize: $1000 prize
Rule: The school that has the highest increase in participation from the grant period in the preceding year to this year will win.

For applicable categories, participation will be measured on average during this period as total breakfast Average Daily Participation (ADP) over total enrollment. Percentage increase will be calculated by comparing the average participation rate from 2017/18 school year to the same time period in the previous year.

The Rhode Island breakfast challenge applications will be reviewed Monday, November 6 through Monday, December 4, 2017.

Schools are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible to help ensure approved resources are made available before the end of the Breakfast Challenge. Schools that are interested in the RI Breakfast Challenge should coordinate with their district office.

For questions about the challenge, please contact Chanthy Del Rosario at Chanthy.Delrosario@ride.ri.gov.