Austin ISD Food Services is providing breakfast to more students than ever with the Breakfast in the Classrooms program. The program, which AISD implemented two years ago, is offered at 25 schools as of this month.

“We’re focused on expanding healthy meals to all our students,” Food Services Director Anneliese Tanner said. “You really build relationships when you share a meal with your teachers and classmates.”

While breakfast has been served at many AISD campuses in the past, this program allows students to eat in the classroom instead of in the cafeteria, and is offered in all classes to all students.

Jazmyn Lynch, a third-grade teacher at Pillow Elementary School, said that the community aspect is one of the biggest benefits she has seen since the program was implemented at her school two weeks ago.

“We’ve loved it. The kids are coming to school, getting breakfast and being focused during class,” Lynch said. “It kind of makes a family-like setting and we’ve gotten the opportunity to talk about manners and setting a table.”

Jeannine Frenzel’s third-grade class already has a system in place. When they come to the class after their schoolwide assembly, the students sit and one student is assigned to pass out the food. Students take turns lining up to get their decorated placemats and choose their breakfast. Several options are given daily. One day’s options included milk, cereal, juice, peaches and a hot ham sandwich.

Implementing the Breakfast in the Classroom program at Pillow Elementary School has increased the percentage of students receiving breakfast from 30 percent to 90 percent.

For more information, please visit https://www.austinisd.org/nutritionfoodservices/breakfast.