Whether it’s a bowl of cereal or a plate of eggs with toast, breakfast is an important meal, especially for kids.

According to Kellogg Co.’s new research on school breakfast programs, the impact such breakfast programs can have on children is key for parents to be aware of.

Kellogg Co. Fund, one of the company’s charitable arms, commissioned the research in 2022 to develop a deeper understanding of the benefits of school and community breakfast programs. The study was conducted in five countries where breakfast programs are at different stages of development: Brazil, India, South Africa, the U.K., and the U.S.

The main objective was to learn more about the impact these initiatives have on:

  • Children’s abilities to participate in school
  • Children’s social skills from the perspective of parents
  • Children’s social skills from the perspective of teachers/administration staff

School breakfast programs are an established intervention in schools and communities worldwide. While their primary aim is to provide healthy food where food insecurity may be an issue, many have evolved to provide the opportunity to complete homework, play, and socialize, according to a news release.

This can lead to benefits, such as:

  • Supporting children’s social development
  • Improving students’ classroom behavior
  • Making children who attend breakfast programs excited about going to school

“You will see that children are less talkative in the classroom because they have had time with friends during breakfast,” said a U.K. teacher of students ages 5-10. “It helps to bring more discipline to the classroom and the kids can concentrate better.”

A parent of a 4-year-old in Brazil said, “Breakfast (programs) are great because of the interaction with other age ranges. It helps them build a link and feel more important when they are friends with an older child.”

Since 2015, Kellogg’s has reached 4.3 million children through feeding programs around the world, including our longstanding commitment to creating and supporting breakfast clubs.

Those efforts and this new research are part of Kellogg’s Better Days Promise environmental, social, and governance strategy, which aims to create better days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030.

Source: Kellogg Co.