Schools will be encouraged and recognized for increasing breakfast participation while incorporating sustainable changes that incorporate more nutritious and local foods. Whether a friendly competition with buildings within your school district or with your neighboring school district, as school administrators, we encourage you to not only accept the Challenge, but to lead Challenge at your school.
2024 Governor School Breakfast Challenge Participants
- Wallenpaupack Area School District: Wallenpaupack High School
- Pleasant Valley School District: Pleasant Valley Elementary School
- Colonial School District: Colonial Elementary School
- North Penn SD: Oak Park Elementary
- Gettysburg Montessori Charter School: Gettysburg Montessori Charter School
- Wallenpaupack Area School District: South Elementary
- Erie City School District: Joannna Connell Elementary School
- Bethlehem-Center School District: Bethlehem Center Elementary School
- Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship: Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepeneurship
- Lakeview School District: Oakview Elementary
- Erie City School District: Northwest PA Collegiate Academy HS
- North Penn SD: Inglewood Elementary
- Bethlehem-Center School District: Bethlehem Center Jr/Sr High School
- Curwensville Area School District: Curwensville High School
- Pleasant Valley School District: Pleasant Valley Intermediate School
- North Penn SD: Gwynedd Square Elementary
- Tyrone Area School District: Tyrone Area Middle School
- North Penn SD: Hatfield Elementary
- Great Valley School District: Great Valley High School
- Upper Dublin School District: Thomas Fitzwater Elementary School
- North Penn SD: Bridle Path Elementary
- Curwensville Area School District: Curwensville Elementary
- North Penn SD: General Nash Elementary
- Pleasant Valley School District: Pleasant Valley Middle School
- Easton Area School District: Easton Area Middle School
- North Penn SD: Walton Farm Elementary
- Upper Dublin School District: Maple Glen Elementary School
- North Penn SD: Gwyn Nor Elementary
- Upper Dublin School District: Fort Washington Elementary School
- Upper Moreland Township School District: Upper Moreland Elementary School
- North Penn SD: Knapp Elementary
- Upper Dublin School District: Jarrettown Elementary School
- Lebanon School District: Lebanon High School
- Upper Dublin School District: Upper Dublin High School
- Upper Dublin School District: Sandy Run Middle School
- North Penn SD: North Wales Elementary
- Lakeview School District: Lakeview Middle High School
School Breakfast Promotion Digital Toolkit
Letter from PDE Secretary Mumin - Governor's School Breakfast Challenge (PDF)
Challenge Criteria
Note: Residential Childcare Institutions are encouraged to participate in the Challenge but will not be eligible for recognition related to increases in breakfast participation.
- Promote breakfast to families and students (parent flyer, social media messages, etc) by using the Breakfast Toolkit or other creative ways.
- Provide at least one breakfast promotion activity. See examples at: No Kid Hungry List of Breakfast Promotion Strategies
- Formulate a plan with school administration to implement an alternative serving method.*
Not applicable if the building already offers an alternative breakfast serving method. - Serve at least one local food (milk excluded) a week at breakfast.
Local is PA Agriculture (grown or raised-must be minimally processed per USDA definition**). PA Harvest of Month can be incorporated.
paharvestofthemonth.org - Offer a hot breakfast (main item/entrée) choice a minimum of two times/week
- Offer high sugar items at breakfast no more than three times a week. High sugar items include: toaster pastries, sweet rolls, fruit turnovers, cereal bars, breakfast bars, granola bars, doughnuts, funnel cakes, coffee cakes, and cereals with more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce.
- Upload one new picture of a healthy student breakfast to the LEA's/SFA's social media or website platform(s). Can include students if parental consent was obtained.
- Promote breakfast to families and students (parent flyer, social media messages, etc) by using the Breakfast Toolkit or other creative ways.
- Provide at least one breakfast promotion. See examples at: No Kid Hungry List of Breakfast Promotion Strategies
- Prepare to implement the alternative serving method* plan identified in January. Not applicable if the building already offers an alternative breakfast serving method.
- Serve at least one local food (milk excluded) a week at breakfast.
Local is PA Agriculture (grown or raised-must be minimally processed per USDA definition**). PA Harvest of Month can be incorporated.
paharvestofthemonth.org - Offer a hot breakfast (main item/entrée) choice a minimum of two times/week
- Offer high sugar items at breakfast no more than three times a week. High sugar items include: toaster pastries, sweet rolls, fruit turnovers, cereal bars, breakfast bars, granola bars, doughnuts, funnel cakes, coffee cakes, and cereals with more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce.
- Upload one new picture of a healthy student breakfast to the LEA's/SFA's social media or website platform(s). Can include students if parental consent was obtained.
- Promote breakfast to families and students (parent flyer, social media messages, etc) by using the Breakfast Toolkit or other creative ways.
- Provide at least one breakfast promotion activity. See examples at: No Kid Hungry List of Breakfast Promotion Strategies
- Implement or pilot alternative serving method* according to plan identified in January. Must be in place by the end of March. Not applicable if the building already offers an alternative breakfast serving method.
- Serve at least two local foods (milk excluded) a week at breakfast.
Local is PA Agriculture (grown or raised-must be minimally processed per USDA definition**). PA Harvest of Month can be incorporated.
paharvestofthemonth.org - Offer a hot breakfast (main item/entrée) choice a minimum of three times/week
- Offer high sugar items at breakfast no more than two times a week. High sugar items include: toaster pastries, sweet rolls, fruit turnovers, cereal bars, breakfast bars, granola bars, doughnuts, funnel cakes, coffee cakes, and cereals with more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce.
- Upload one new picture of a healthy student breakfast to the LEA's/SFA's social media or website platform(s). Can include students if parental consent was obtained.
- All buildings that participate in the National School Lunch Program under the administration of the School Food Authority (SFA) must also be participating in the School Breakfast Program by the end of the month or are approved in PEARS to begin in April.
Submit attestation that criteria were met for each month, includes a testimonial statement from at least one student or parent on the value of free breakfast, lesson(s) learned or best practice related to increasing participation while meeting Breakfast Challenge criteria, and recipe for most popular breakfast item (must be compliant with nutrient standards and creditable). The recipe submitted cannot be a fully processed or prepackaged item. The recipe must be made from scratch or a speed scratch (which is removing some parts of the cooking process to make the process easier/quicker).
Breakfast Challenge participants are recognized, with special recognition for schools with the greatest success in participation
* An alternative breakfast serving method is any service method where the meal is made more accessible to the students and the students are not limited to obtaining and eating the meal in the cafeteria. Examples include but are not limited to; breakfast in the classroom, grab and go breakfast (this can be served from the cafeteria or other locations in the school), second chance breakfast, etc.
** The USDA defines minimally processed foods as those that have not undergone significant processing or alteration and retain their inherent nutritional and physical properties. Examples of minimally processed foods include but are not limited to milk and dairy foods such as cheese and yogurt; fruits and vegetables (including 100% juices, fresh, frozen, or canned); grain products such as pastas and rice; meats (whole, pieces, or food items such as ground meats); and meat alternates such as beans or legumes.