Changing Children’s Lives One Breakfast At A Time: Principals, teachers, parents and students of schools benefiting from a Jamaica YES breakfast program have shared the positive impact of a nutritious breakfast on the children’s ability to excel in school. It is difficult to learn when you’re hungry. Principals and counselors report students receiving their morning meal through our program have demonstrated improved attendance, a reduction in behavioral issues and increased test scores. Student enrollment has increased in one school by over 20% due in part to the offering of breakfast to those children in need. We are not just providing meals; we’re creating a legacy of change; empowering a generation to break free from the cycle of poverty.
Before the breakfast program the photo to the left is of a room at one school frequently used for students who had behavioral issues (“time out”). Once the breakfast program started the number of behavioral issues greatly decreased to the point that the room is now only used as storage.
From a principal: “On behalf of Baxter’s Mountain Primary School to express our sincere gratitude for the invaluable support you have provided to our school through the Breakfast program for the past year and a half. Your dedication to uplifting educational standards and promoting sustainable development has had a profound impact on our students and their families.” Visit our Testimonials page for additional comments from principals, teachers, parents and students.
American Academy of Pediatrics:
- Breakfast eaters have better brain function, memory, and attention
- Eating breakfast improves kids’ performance on vocabulary tests, math problems and challenging mental tasks. It also helps them deal better with frustration.
- Kids who eat breakfast the morning before a standardized test have significantly higher scores in math, spelling and reading than those who don’t.
Children’s Hospital: Children who receive a breakfast:
- tend to perform better in school
- have better test scores, improved memory and focus
- less likely to be absent or tardy
- fewer behavioral problems and visits to the school nurse
Jamaica YES, inspiring dreams one breakfast at a time.