It’s that time of the year again! Today kicks off this year's National School Breakfast Week from March 5-9. This year's theme is 'I Love School Breakfast' and is the perfect opportunity for you to boost student participation, increase revenue in your cafeterias, and inform students about the importance of eating a healthy breakfast.

Originally created in 1989, National School Breakfast week was created to help raise awareness of the School Breakfast Program. Did you know that there are significant links between academic success and a healthy breakfast? A regular and healthy breakfast is not only associated with higher grades, but also less nurse visits, reduced tardiness, and fewer behavioral issues.

Students that eat breakfast are often noted to be more alert, retain more information, and reach higher levels of achievement in the classroom. These are just some of the key facts that NSBW draws attention to. Imagine the improvement in each of your students if National School Breakfast Week was effectively marketed and celebrated for your school’s breakfast program!

In the past, school districts have found awesome ways to keep their students involved in this week-long celebration. Decorating lunchrooms, creating interactive contests, and even wearing costumes are all great ways to keep your students involved and excited for breakfast. Serving breakfast-for-lunch is always a good idea to celebrate the week too!

An interactive and fun way to increase participation throughout the week is to create punch-cards that are redeemable for prizes. Each student can decorate a card that will be hole-punched each day they eat school breakfast during the week. Whoever has all five days can be entered in for a raffle drawing!

Always take tons of pictures of your students participating and never forget to have fun! Share your celebrations with us on Facebook and use the hashtag #NSBW2018 so we can all see the festivities. We hope you have a fun and successful National School Breakfast Week!

National School Breakfast week isn't the only time to focus on growing your breakfast participation. Check out a couple of our popular breakfast-related blogs to help inspire ideas and grow your program:

• Which School Breakfast Service Model is right for your district?
• 4 Important Considerations Before You Start Breakfast In The Classroom