I’d like to add my support for the recently passed Breakfast After the Bell bill, which will ensure as many as 30,000 students across the state have the chance to get the nutritional fuel they need every day.
Here at United Way of King County, we know the importance of school breakfast. When kids start the day with a nutritious meal, they learn better, behave better and have fewer nurse visits.
We’ve been trying to make Breakfast After the Bell a reality for years, and we’re so excited to have gotten legislation over the finish line. I’d like to clarify exactly what it does.
This program is not just for tardy kids. The beauty of the bill is that it requires high-need schools to offer Breakfast After the Bell to each student after the official start of the school day while allowing schools to count it as instructional time so that teachers can start their lesson plans while students eat. The legislation also provides grants to schools to support the implementation of these programs.
When kids get the healthy school breakfast they need, they grow up stronger, smarter and healthier. And that means a stronger, smarter and healthier Washington.
