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Volunteering for the Jumpstart Student Nutrition Program is a way of supporting positive outcomes for children. Research has shown that starting the day with a nutritious breakfast helps students stay alert and perform better in school. Having breakfast in the morning also helps children develop healthy eating habits and contributes to their overall well-being.
We hope that this information will be useful to many different people who are interested in helping more students benefit from the Jumpstart School Nutrition Program. Below are specific groupings of possible volunteers and what they can do to make a difference.
If your school does not currently have a breakfast program and you are looking for information about how to start one, please contact us.
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- Parents and Guardians
- Students
Parents and Guardians Are Important to Jumpstart!
Eat a healthy breakfast everyday—your children are watching. By establishing healthy habits early in life, children can dramatically reduce their health risks and increase their chances for longer, more productive lives. Research has shown what parents have known all along—children who eat breakfast do better in school. Help your child make healthy choices for life—today!
You Can Support the Jumpstart Student Nutrition Program
Here’s How:
- Serve as a role model by eating a balanced diet that includes a healthy breakfast.
- Determine if your child’s school has a breakfast program and have your children participate.
- Find out what schools are doing to promote school breakfast and healthy eating.
- Volunteer with your school breakfast, lunch or snack program.
- Speak to school administrators and school boards about the importance of school breakfast.
- Help school staff plan activities where students can sample healthy breakfast foods.
- Involve children in selecting and preparing breakfast foods.
- Reinforce the messages about nutrition and physical activity that your children learn in school by planning family activities that include physical activity and healthy food choices.
Students Are Important to Jumpstart!
To do your best in school and to look and feel your best, you should make healthy eating choices at home and at school. Start your day off with school breakfast and invite friends to join you! You can have a voice in your school; get involved to make a difference!
You Can Support the Jumpstart Student Nutrition Program
Here’s How:
- Set personal goals for healthy eating habits.
- Make healthy breakfast choices in the school cafeteria by choosing more often those items with lower fat and little or no added sugar.
- Serve on a Nutrition Advisory Council or school health council and urge them to request healthy food choices in school for breakfast.
- Advocate for nutrition education and physical activity options in your school; write letters (including a letter to the editor or newsletter article), make phone calls and give presentations about the importance of a healthy school nutrition environment.
- Use nutrition labels to select low fat breakfast choices.
- Ask your parents to get involved.
- Encourage friends to participate in the school breakfast program.
- Serve as a role model for younger students.
- Take elective courses in health, nutrition, and cooking.
- Help plan school and family menus.
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Jump Start Nibblets
A healthy breakfast should contain at least 3 of the 4 food groups such as a bowl of whole grain cereal with milk and fresh berries. |
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How Can I Help? 
