Virginia’s first lady Dorothy McAuliffe, incoming first lady Pam Northam and representatives from No Kid Hungry Virginia will visit Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) to learn about the school division’s diversified approach to ensuring more students start the day with a healthy breakfast.

“Virginia Beach City Public Schools has made a remarkable commitment to expanding child nutrition programs,” said first lady Dorothy McAuliffe. “By making breakfast available after the bell, we are ensuring that all children are well fed and ready to learn each and every day. Kids can't be hungry to learn if they're just plain hungry, and thanks to the great efforts of VBCPS teachers, administrators and school nutrition staff, there are far fewer hungry kids in the Commonwealth today.”

The visit will take place at White Oaks Elementary School Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 8:30-9:30 a.m. During the visit, guests will see how the VBCPS Breakfast in the Classroom model works at the elementary school level. McAuliffe will also meet volunteers from the Virginia Beach READS program - an award-winning partnership between VBCPS, Virginia Beach GrowSmart and the Virginia Beach Office of Volunteer Resources - that works to ensure all Virginia Beach students are reading proficiently by the third grade.

“We are thrilled first lady McAuliffe, Mrs. Northam and representatives from No Kid Hungry Virginia will get to see firsthand the work we are doing to meet the needs of our students,” said VBCPS Superintendent Aaron Spence. “Whether it is helping address struggles in literacy or ensuring our students are not hungry during the day, we are committed to providing the resources necessary to see every child in this division thrive and succeed every day.”

In VBCPS, the percent of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch has increased by nearly 10 percent in almost 10 years - from 29.1 percent in 2008-2009 to 38.9 percent in 2017-2018. During that time, the division’s Office of Food Services has been working with each building principal to offer a breakfast model that best meets the needs of each school.

Some schools provide breakfast in the cafeteria while others offer breakfast carts strategically available across various parts of the building. Students are able to pick up breakfast before heading to their classrooms to spend time with classmates or meet with teachers as they prepare for the school day.

Last school year, VBCPS served 2.6 million breakfast meals. This year, the division has already served 130,000 more meals in the first three months of school compared to 2016.

For more information about the school division’s Food Services program, visit vbschools.com.

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