Chartwells School Dining Services Celebrates National School Breakfast Week

RYE BROOK, N.Y. --(Business Wire)--

For over 45 years, the National School Breakfast Program has been a key factor in fueling the bodies and minds of millions of American school children. Chartwells School Dining Services provides over 2.7 million breakfasts daily in schools nationwide. This year, Chartwells schools celebrate National School Breakfast Week, (March 4-8) with special events and foods that give students the fuel they need for a productive day at school.

There are many benefits to eating breakfast. Studies indicate that children who eat breakfast are more likely to:

Make healthy food choices throughout the day
Are more physically active and have healthier body weights than those who skip breakfast
Perform better in school and have greater school attendance rates
Have improved standardized achievement test scores
Get the vitamins and minerals they need for the entire day

Kim Salahie, Director of Culinary Development at Chartwells School Dining Services, said, "We serve popular and healthy breakfast foods that students will enjoy when they join us for breakfast at school, such as whole grain cereals, low fat milk, fruit and yogurt parfaits, cinnamon cranberry oatmeal and hot breakfast sandwiches. Breakfast is really worth getting up for, it's easy, a great value and it's a satisfying meal."

Celebrate a Simply Good Breakfast with Chartwells

Chartwells promotes breakfast through its Simply Good program; the program includes featured food items, monthly food focuses and chef demonstratons, as well as breakfast recipes that include fresh and locally sourced fruits and vegetables that can easily be incorporated into popular breakfast meals.

The school breakfast program at Chartwells is designed to deliver convenient and nutritious meals for students to start their day off right and relieve parents of the stress of getting a healthy breakfast on the table. The program helps students 'fuel up' for a full day's work with kid-friendly foods that are both tasty and convenient. Breakfast foods include a wide variety of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean proteins.

To celebrate National School Breakfast Week March 4-8^th in Chartwells' schools across the nation, students are encouraged to wake up for breakfast and see what's happening in their school cafeteria:

"Breakfast club cards" are used to encourage students to eat breakfast at school on a regular basis, giving them rewards for being a repeat breakfast customer.
Meal combos bundle popular breakfast foods to create a complete meal for student diners so a complete breakfast is only a "grab and go" away.
Chartwells chefs conduct culinary demonstrations featuring sample items such as yogurt parfaits, oatmeal mix-ups, breakfast crepes, and easy omelets.
Food displays are a great way to allow students to try foods that are new to them such as whole grains, berries, seeds and nuts, all of which can be part of a nutritious breakfast.
"Breakfast or Brunch for Lunch" is a fun twist where breakfast foods are showcased at lunch time. This promotes and encourages students to sample and check out breakfast, which is served every morning at school.

For more information about Chartwells School Dining Services, visit www.eatlearnlive.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Chartwells School Dining Services

Chartwells, a division of Charlotte, NC-based Compass (News - Alert) Group, provides dining services for over 550 public school districts and private schools, comprising over 6000 separate elementary, middle and high schools nationwide. For more information about Chartwells School Dining Services, visit www.eatlearnlive.com.