TOPEKA — Students at 42 schools will have better access to breakfast after a total of $142,519 in grants were awarded to programs across the state, the Kansas State Department of Education announced.

Local schools receiving an Innovative Breakfast Delivery Grant from KSDE are Great Bend High School, $5,000, and St. John Junior-Senior High School, $3,500.

The funding boosts innovative breakfast delivery models, sometimes called breakfast after the bell, to help bring breakfast out of the cafeteria and into the classroom.

KSDE received the funding from Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign and Midwest Dairy Council to support the breakfast initiative.

Research shows that eating breakfast at school improves student performance in the classroom and promotes healthy habits. Innovative breakfast delivery models – like breakfast in the classroom, grab-and-go breakfast and second-chance breakfast – can significantly boost school breakfast participation. These models bring breakfast to students, ensuring that more children start the day with the fuel they need to learn, grow and thrive.