Solving the Breakfast in the Classroom Challenge

Experts agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day—especially for children who are growing and learning. And for the rest of us, it jumpstarts our metabolism, gives us energy, and helps us focus.

Thank goodness for the School Breakfast Program! The program began as a pilot project back in 1966 and was made permanent in 1975. A lifeline for millions of children affected by food insecurity, in 2018 alone, the School Breakfast Program enabled schools to serve over 2.4 billion breakfasts to children nationwide.

This week, we celebrate National School Breakfast Week in gratitude of the amazing program and people who have fed bodies and minds to help our nation’s students learn and grow for half a century.

The USDA Breakfast Meal Pattern requires all three of the following components for a reimbursable meal:

1. 1 milk: 1 cup of fluid milk
2. 1 fruit/vegetable: ½ cup of fruit, vegetable, or full-strength juice
3. 1 grain/bread: 1 slice of bread; or 1 serving of cornbread, biscuit, roll or muffin; or ¾ cup cold dry cereal; or ½ cup hot cooked cereal; or ½ cup pasta, noodles, or grains

We are often asked how to maintain proper temperatures of these meal components and make efficient use of time and equipment resources when serving in the classroom. Here are a few classroom-tested tools for successfully serving BIC:

Cambro GoBags®

Smaller insulated carriers such as Cambro GoBags can be used for hot or cold foods, are easy to clean, and provide a lot of flexibility when transported on Mobile Camshelving Units. With a long history of success in the restaurant delivery world, these are bags you can trust to help you support your in-classroom feeding program. They will also work great for delivery, summer programs, field trips, and special events.

Cambro GoBoxes®

Milk, juice, smoothies, and other cold items will need their own carriers or carts to stay safely cold and appetizing. GoBoxes are made of expanded polypropylene (EPP), a lightweight, yet rugged material that provides reliable insulation for holding hot or cold foods 4+ hours. The Cam GoBox Milk Crate Box was designed specifically for serving ice cold milk during school breakfast and lunch, holding a 13" X 13"  milk crate with 50 half pint milk cartons.

The Cam GoBox Chiller Insert and Beverage Holder is a molded insert that holds varying sized cups with lids in place and upright to prevent spills. Insulated material keeps smoothies and juice cold.

Cambro Pro Cart Ultra®

For programs that serve both hot and cold breakfast items, carts with separate insulated compartments make it easy to safely hold hot menu items in the top and cold in the bottom. Transporters like the Cambro Pro Cart Ultra are popular in BIC programs for this very reason. Hot breakfast sandwiches are safely held hot in the top compartment, while cold items such as milk, juice, and fruit are safely held cold in the lower compartment. In fact, the Pro Cart Ultra offers a proven way to safely serve hot and cold foods outside of the cafeteria any time of day.

These are just a few popular and effective ways to serve breakfast in the classroom, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach. We’re here to help you create the ideal system to keep foods at safe and appetizing serving temperatures, so your students start the day happy and ready to learn. Contact us for a customized solution for your program.