Councilwoman Valerie Ervin Issues National School Breakfast Week Proclamation

Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-dist. 5) will join the Maryland Governor’s Office for Children, the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland, Montgomery County Public Schools, the Maryland State Department of Education, and Share Our Strength to issue a National School Breakfast Week Proclamation Thursday at New Hampshire Estates Elementary School.

Montgomery County Board of Education President Shirley Brandman and MCPS Superintendent Joshua P. Starr will be among those in attendance.

National School Breakfast Week, March 5-9, is organized by the School Nutrition Association with events taking place across the country.

In celebration, Councilwoman Ervin will highlight the importance of every student starting the school day with a nutritious meal and discuss changes schools in Montgomery County are making to ensure school breakfast is more accessible for students.

The Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland is working with superintendents, principals, school food service directors, teachers, students and parents to implement alternative school breakfast delivery models that are proven to break down hurdles that keep students from getting a nutritious breakfast. 

Through programs like the First Class Breakfast Initiative and Maryland Meals for Achievement (MMFA), students are able to eat breakfast at their desks, which makes breakfast a part of their instructional time, reduces stigma and ensures that kids who may arrive to school too late to get a traditional cafeteria breakfast are still able to start their day with a nutritious meal.

New Hampshire Estates Elementary School receives funding through MMFA, an innovative, in-classroom breakfast project administered by the Maryland State Department of Education. 

Through MMFA, breakfast is provided in the classroom to all students at 228 high-need schools across Maryland, improving access to breakfast and reducing participation barriers. 

The result is increased breakfast participation, which has been shown to improve academic outcomes and behavior in the classroom.