Your typical morning routine likely goes something like this: get out of bed, brush your teeth, get dressed, grab a quick bite to eat for breakfast, then head out the door to work or to school. Some of us have time to sit and read the newspaper with toast, while others grab anything edible on the way out of the door.
Now imagine the same routine…without eating breakfast, and maybe not ever knowing what you’re going to eat for the rest of the day.
For an increasing number of children in Toronto, that’s a reality.
One in 10 school-age students arrive at school with less than enough food for the day. By the time they reach the eighth grade, only 50 percent of these students eat breakfast every day. Reasons for this are as diverse as the communities where people live, ranging from poor eating habits to food insecurity in the home. Child poverty can also lead to poor eating habits like skipping breakfast
What occurs in the development of a child that misses eating all together (or eat an unhealthy one) in the morning? According to the World Health Organization, “skipping breakfast leads to mid-morning fatigue and may interfere with learning”. Other studies show that skipping breakfast can lead to forming unhealthy eating habits, such as eating foods with higher amounts of fat, cholesterol and carbohydrates.
The local breakfast program is aiming to help address this growing problem amongst all school age children. The main ingredient; a vision to get kids to start and end the day on a full stomach. Add a small army of volunteers who work hard to make sure kids get a variety of foods they need—and like—to eat (including parents, administrators, teaching staffs and community volunteers). Stir in the minds of young, impressionable minds empowered by the feeling that they can take on the day ahead of them. What you get: healthy kids who excel in class and beyond the classroom. Students who eat breakfast show improved memory and focus, which can improve grades by up to 15 percent.
School breakfast programs, like the Student Nutrition Program in Peel Region which our YMCA before school programs are helping to deliver, build healthy communities. It starts with a healthy meal, leads to a full stomach, and makes way for bright minds to solve the world’s problems, now and in the future.
Learn more about supporting programs like these. Your donations to YMCA can help us address these challenges by building strong kids, strong families and strong communities.
Now imagine the same routine…without eating breakfast, and maybe not ever knowing what you’re going to eat for the rest of the day.
For an increasing number of children in Toronto, that’s a reality.
One in 10 school-age students arrive at school with less than enough food for the day. By the time they reach the eighth grade, only 50 percent of these students eat breakfast every day. Reasons for this are as diverse as the communities where people live, ranging from poor eating habits to food insecurity in the home. Child poverty can also lead to poor eating habits like skipping breakfast
In 2008 in Ontario, approximately 412,000 children and youth under the age of 18 - that's 1 in 6 children - were living in poverty.
What happens if you skip breakfast
What occurs in the development of a child that misses eating all together (or eat an unhealthy one) in the morning? According to the World Health Organization, “skipping breakfast leads to mid-morning fatigue and may interfere with learning”. Other studies show that skipping breakfast can lead to forming unhealthy eating habits, such as eating foods with higher amounts of fat, cholesterol and carbohydrates.
The best recipe for a healthy kid?
The local breakfast program is aiming to help address this growing problem amongst all school age children. The main ingredient; a vision to get kids to start and end the day on a full stomach. Add a small army of volunteers who work hard to make sure kids get a variety of foods they need—and like—to eat (including parents, administrators, teaching staffs and community volunteers). Stir in the minds of young, impressionable minds empowered by the feeling that they can take on the day ahead of them. What you get: healthy kids who excel in class and beyond the classroom. Students who eat breakfast show improved memory and focus, which can improve grades by up to 15 percent.
School breakfast programs, like the Student Nutrition Program in Peel Region which our YMCA before school programs are helping to deliver, build healthy communities. It starts with a healthy meal, leads to a full stomach, and makes way for bright minds to solve the world’s problems, now and in the future.
Learn more about supporting programs like these. Your donations to YMCA can help us address these challenges by building strong kids, strong families and strong communities.
