Downingtown, Phoenixville get school breakfast funds

WEST CHESTER » State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, announced that two schools in Chester County will receive more than $9,000 in total state grant funding for school breakfast programs.

The funds, which come as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s School Breakfast Initiative, are as follows:

$5,000 for East Ward Elementary School in the Downingtown Area School District;

$4,381 for Barkley Elementary School in the Phoenixville Area School District.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that also goes for preparing young people for learning. Studies show that students can’t be educated to the top of their ability if they’re hungry, tired, or low on energy,” said Dinniman, who serves as minority chair of the Senate Education Committee. “These grants will ensure that more students will have access to the healthy and nutritious breakfast options they need to be ready to learn.”

The schools will use the grants to increase and sustain breakfast participation by 20 percent by implementing or expanding alternative breakfast options, such as grab-n-go breakfast, breakfast in the classroom, and second chance breakfast during study halls.

Currently, over 3,000 Pennsylvania schools report that they offer breakfast; however, fewer than half of those schools offer alternative serving methods. Only 50 percent of students who receive free or reduced lunch also receive breakfast.

The funds come as part of $900,000 in total awarded from the inaugural round of School Breakfast Initiative grants to help over 200 schools statewide make breakfast available to all students and expand options for children.