The first meal of the day is a chance to get the energy we need to learn, play and stay healthy. While most Australian children eat breakfast, skipping breakfast is still common ⁽¹⁾. Children who eat breakfast have better school attendance, better academic performance and improved wellbeing. Eating breakfast is associated with better dietary and physical activity behaviours ⁽²⁾

If you are thinking about starting a breakfast program, we recommend exploring the need in your school community first. One way to do this is to survey parents, children and teaching staff.

If you are unable to start a breakfast program, some other options may be:

• Scheduling recess earlier in the school day
• Opening the canteen before school
• Holding a fruit and vegetable break before recess.

Breakfast programs can be challenging to run sustainably. You will need to consider:

• Who will staff the program? Can a staff member supervise during their paid hours? This helps to acknowledge the important contribution that these staff and the program play in your school community. Consider how staff involved in the program may need to be trained (eg food safety).
• Where will we hold the program? Ideally the program will be held indoors, or otherwise somewhere sheltered from the weather. It will need to be close to kitchen facilities, particularly a fridge for safe food storage. You will need safe access to power.
• What equipment do we need to source (eg toaster, microwave, kettle)? Do we already have crockery, cutlery and cups at the school we could use?
• Where will we access food? Is there room in the school budget for this? If not, who can we partner with to access regular donations? Can we aim to provide ‘everyday’ foods? Where will the food be stored?
• What other resources do we need (eg cleaning equipment)?

Aim to provide foods from the five food groups

*check your school's policy

It’s essential that all food for your breakfast program is stored and handled safely to ensure participants stay well.

Storing food safely will minimise the growth of bacteria that can grow to dangerous levels and cause illness. Having these practices in place will also help to reduce food waste and save money.

For more information on food safety, visit the Department of Health Food Safety webpage or contact the Environmental Health Officer at your local council.

Collecting information about your breakfast program will help you to make sure it’s still valuable and identify ways to improve. You might like to consider gathering information on:

• school attendance rates
• attendance at breakfast
• type/s and quantities of food served
• all costs associated with running the program
• student feedback
• staff feedback (eg on student behaviour)
• parent and school community feedback