Program Models
There are a variety of different ways to serve breakfast at school.
In the traditional model, breakfast is served before classes start in the morning in a central location, usually the school’s cafeteria. Although the majority of schools use this model, there are other models that may result in increased student participation.
Breakfast in the classroom as the name implies, describes a model in which students eat breakfast in their classroom. Food can either be picked up from a designated location in the school and brought to the classroom by the student; or is delivered to the classrooms by school staff, or volunteers. Breakfast can be consumed in the classroom either before school, during the first hour of classes or during a mid morning break.
Mid morning breakfast is a model in which breakfast is offered during an already established school break before 10 am. Students pick up and eat breakfast either from a central location like the school’s cafeteria or from other locations in the school. Many mid morning breakfasts are served as grab n go, in which meals are prepacked in boxes or bags, for convenience.
Universal free breakfast and elimination of reduced price breakfast refer to types of financial models that many schools use to provide more breakfasts to students. With universal free breakfast, all students are able to eat breakfast at school at no cost to them. With the elimination of reduced price category, all students who qualify for reduced price breakfasts are offered breakfast at no cost to them; this often increases breakfast participation.
Using different service and/or financial breakfast models can enhance a school’s breakfast program by increasing student participation and thus increasing the federal reimbursement to the school. Using different models ultimately helps provide more breakfasts to more students.
Look at the Quick Guide to School Breakfast Program Delivery to help find the model or models that fits your schools, or browse from some suggested models below.
School Breakfast Delivery Program Models
- Breakfast Cart
- Breakfast in the Classroom
- Grab n’ Go Breakfast
- Mid-Morning Nutrition Break
- Universal Free Breakfast
- Elimination of Reduced Price Breakfast
Directory of School Breakfast Models (Wisconsin)
The following links will open a PDF file. Each PDF file lists the name of Wisconsin schools that operate a school breakfast program using a particular breakfast model such as breakfast in the classroom. The list is not exhaustive and may change every year as new information from schools is received.
