Breakfast is often considered the most important meal of the day. Yet, many teenagers skip breakfast. When teens don’t eat until lunch time, their energy sags mid-morning and their ability to learn suffers.
More and more middle schools and high schools are adding Grab and Go breakfasts and Second Chance breakfasts to increase school breakfast participation.
The Project breakFAST toolkit contains:
- Guidelines and templates for getting started.
- Marketing and evaluation resources.
- Best practices from schools that have implemented successful Grab and Go and Second Chance breakfasts.
Access the Toolkit
You can access the Project breakFAST toolkit for free! We ask that you complete a quick survey to tell us more about you and your intended use.
What is Project breakFAST?
Project breakFAST: Fueling Academics & Strengthening Teens was a four-year study. It tested ways to increase participation in USDA’s School Breakfast Program at 16 rural Minnesota high schools. The study was conducted by the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. It was done in collaboration with six organizations, including the Extension Department of Family, Health and Wellbeing. Project breakFAST was funded in February 2013 by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Grant Number R01HL113235).
Get more information
Extension Department of Family, Health and Wellbeing continues to work with Minnesota schools to implement Project breakFAST practices. This is one of many ways that Extension serves as a bridge between University research and people in need.
Want to see how the Project breakFAST Toolkit has been used? Check out the Project breakFAST Toolkit follow up results! (pdf)
Want more information about the content of the toolkit? Please contact Mary Schroeder ([email protected]; 507-337-2817).
Want to connect with us to see if we could partner with your school on Project breakFAST? Contact a staff member on our SNAP-Ed team.
Would you like more information about the Project breakFAST research study? See Project breakFAST: The Final Report (PDF).
Additional resources
Project breakFAST: Fueling Academics and Strengthening Teens
Get more information about the original Project breakFAST research project. From University of Minnesota Programs in Health Disparities Research.
Project breakFAST: Fueling Academics and Strengthening Teens is now featured in the SNAP-Ed toolkit.
Workshops for School Foodservice Professionals
Bring one of these workshops to your school district.
- Increasing participation in school breakfast
- Creating Smarter Lunchrooms
- Serving fruits and vegetables
- Lowering sodium
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). Helping Minnesotans with limited financial resources make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Reviewed in 2020