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Susan McLoughlin, the School Food Service Director of the Homer-Center School District believes that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that if students are not able to concentrate they will not learn. That belief is exhibited in her approach to school breakfast.
When Susan came to this small rural district the elementary breakfast program had just started. The following school year, she started the program at the high school, the only other school building in the district. Breakfast at the elementary is traditional, cafeteria–style, served before classes start. The high school’s system is similar except for one notable difference: breakfast is served after first period instead of before. Serving breakfast after first period at the high school came about as a solution for a problem unrelated to food service. Administrators wanted to cut down on student tardiness, and they worked with Susan to come up with a solution that would benefit the foodservice department, the students, and the administrators. Susan says, "With ‘Breakfast After First Period,’ students don't have to choose between sleeping in and eating breakfast. By the time we are serving breakfast, they are already here. They have homeroom after first period, with announcements and breakfast."
A few years ago, Susan also introduced the high school principal to the idea of Universal Free Breakfast, and he responded enthusiastically. After a financial analysis convinced them that a Universal Free Breakfast program was feasible, they introduced it to the elementary school principal, the Superintendent, and the business manager. The decision was made to implement the free program. The combination of a district-wide Universal Free Breakfast program and ‘Breakfast After First Period’ at the high school has resulted in huge increases in participation.
Susan has been pleased to see that all of the reported benefits of successful school breakfast programs have been realized in her district, including better classroom performance, less tardiness, better attention spans, and fewer hunger complaints. As she said, "It's been very nice to see that everything that we read and were told actually did come true."
Susan enjoys sharing what she’s learned about school breakfast with other directors who want to start and improve programs. "I am a mom and a dietitian. I know how important it is for these kids to be eating. The capabilities and the money are there and they must learn how and where to get it. What we have here is successful and I love sharing how we did it."
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