Healthy eating and academic achievement are interrelated. Ensuring all youth receive proper nutrition requires the coordination of public health professionals, schools, and parents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, skipping breakfast is associated with decreased cognitive performance as it can impact students’ alertness, attention, memory, processing of complex visual display, and problem solving. Inadequate consumption of specific foods, such as fruits and vegetables, is also associated with lower academic achievement.

In 1975, Congress established National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) to raise awareness of, and increase student participation in, the School Breakfast Program. Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “the School Breakfast Program provides cash assistance to states to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions.” This year’s theme is Score Big with School Breakfast, which hopes to “show students, parents, and stakeholders all the ways that your school breakfast program is a winner!”

Get involved in NSBW:

• Download the 2021 toolkit from the School Nutrition Association to learn how to host a successful event at your school.
• Request logos and artwork to download and share at your event and on social media.
• Check out these marketing and PR resources, including infographics, customizable press releases, and more, to spread the word about your NSBW event.
• Join the conversation with #NSBW21 on social media!