What exactly is “Fuel Up to Play 60”?
Like me, you have probably seen the fun, energetic Fuel Up to Play 60 commercials during the Patriots games, but perhaps you were not aware of how work they’re doing is impacting the children in our community and across the country. Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school health and wellness program launched by National Dairy Council and the NFL (National Football League), in collaboration with the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) which empowers students to take action to improve nutrition and physical activity at their schools and in their communities. The Fuel Up to Play 60 program offers a variety of nutrition and physical activity-focused opportunities for schools to choose from.
Recently a Fuel Up to Play 60 event took place in Foxboro, Mass. at Gillette Stadium including an audience of nearly 100 school committee members, administrators and school nutrition directors. The event -called “Commit to the Cause”- featured VIP appearances by New England Patriot Devin McCourty, former Patriot Jermaine Wiggins, Congressman Jim McGovern and USDA-NERO Administrator Kurt Messner. The event challenged attendees to choose an actionable step they will take to support school breakfast in their district/ community. The day also featured a speech and video from Mass. Student Ambassador, Kaden Scopelliti! Tasty and nutritious recipes like these Waffle Dunkers and this Fiesta Breakfast Swirl were featured at the event and are easy and fun if you’re looking for a breakfast activity you can make at home with your kids.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J81sIjaUH-Q&ebc=ANyPxKphHHpYB3JbRC7QI58nudaeWl-R7rA3a5Mpovt-cPbjpsoP6_LCWR3bjfiFfK1Az5Q5tQvH_IW1OLYs25dgoFmhanRknQ
What Has “Fuel Up to Play 60” Been Working on Around Here?
The New England Dairy & Food Council, which is our local Fuel Up to Play 60 dairy partner, recently met with MASC (Mass. Association of School Committees) representatives, including school committee members, administrators, and dietitians, to discuss a range of potential health and academic performance benefits derived by offering students a breakfast program in their schools.
Advocates that discussed the opportunities for, and benefits of, school breakfasts included: USDA Deputy Regional Administrator Kurt Messner, Mass. Congressman Jim McGovern, Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Kaden Scopelliti, New England Patriot Devin McCourty, and former New England Patriot (East Boston native) Jermaine Wiggins. The school representatives were challenged to choose a realistic step that they would take to support a breakfast program in their school/district.
Kaden Scopelliti also presented her team’s impressive “Breakfast on the Go” short film which highlighted the breakfast program at her middle school. It encapsulated the experience with the phrase “Great Breakfast to Start a Great Day”! Check it out here.
Everyone sampled tasty (and healthy!) school breakfast recipes that have been developed by National Dairy Council: “Waffle Dunkers” and “Breakfast Swirls”.
Why Is “Fuel Up to Play 60” Focusing on School Breakfast?
School Breakfast is an ongoing focus for the Fuel Up to Play 60 program due to the multiple health, academic, and even social benefits of ensuring that each student starts his/her school day with a nutritious breakfast. One study by “No Kid Hungry” found that, “three out of four public school teachers of grades K through 8th grade report students regularly come to school hungry.” Hungry students are not going to be focused, engaged students. They are much more likely to be tired, unmotivated, and/or distracted (Source).
Life gets complicated.
For example, many kids (like mine) are just not quite hungry enough yet to eat an ample, healthy meal before the bus comes. Some children are scrambling to just get dressed on time, and a healthy breakfast gets bumped down, or off, the priority list. Unfortunately, there are also students in our communities who may not even have a breakfast available for them at home.
What Can We Do to Help?
We can reach out to our school and community leaders and express interest in adding a school breakfast option for our local students. We can learn about any specific challenges (if any) that our schools are encountering, and then brainstorm ideas on how to overcome them. The Fuel Up to Play 60 team has been working hard on solutions to common barriers to offering school breakfast. The team has refined several ideas, such as Breakfast in the Classroom and Grab and Go that simplify the execution of a new food service meal offering.
We may wish to share information like the recently announced $35 million in grants offered in partnership with USDA, GENYOUth Foundation and the NFL aimed at helping schools update or upgrade their existing kitchen equipment, where a school may apply for up to $5,000. The application deadline is June 30, 2016. Click here for more details. If your school already has a breakfast program, visit here for other ideas on how you may team up to help #FuelGreatness!
Check out how Fuel Up to Play 60 is reminding everyone of the importance of breakfast with fun videos like this “Fruibiks Cube”!
Here are just a few examples of districts in our area that have received funding from Fuel Up to Play 60:
Medfield: Has been working towards the launch of a breakfast program in the High School. It recently received a “Fuel Up to Play 60” grant to install a special blender to make smoothies for the students there (Source).
Foxboro: Offers breakfast at the High School. The district has received grants from the NE Dairy & Food Council in recent years (Source).
Walpole: Offers breakfast at its Elementary schools. The High school offers Breakfast Market Place which created a Grab and Go, bistro-style breakfast experience in the cafeteria for students, funded by Fuel Up to Play 60 (Source).
Reach out to YOUR school district’s food and nutrition department to support school breakfast in your community.
You may also visit the following websites to learn more:
Please note that I was compensated for this article. All opinions are my own.
