AT IT kids are able to be dropped off at 8:00 am ... they can choose to have breakfast or not. The kids are grouped by age with an adult to watch over them. At 8:30 breakfast/free play ends, and the kids are allowed to go upstairs (K+ grades) and the PS3/PK4 kids are escorted to their classrooms.

My DC eats at home when he wakes us, around 6 or so ... and then will often indulge at school as well. Not every day ... we have a pretty good caterer, he's lucky!

At our DCPS, breakfast is at the start of the school day. I don't understand what your issue is - if you want to feed her at home, just do it. Teachers are used to it, they know some kids won't eat - they'll have things for them to do.

All schools handle it differently. Call the school to find out. Chances are, at the PK level, either breakfast will be in a separate room entirely, or in the classroom, and kids will have the choice of eating or just playing in the centers. I had the reverse issue-- I had hoped my son would eat the breakfasts (b/c it would save me time in the morning) but no one was making him, so he opted to "play" instead, meaning I needed to make sure he got a good breakfast at home. I sort of noticed the teacher would "encourage" the kids who probably needed the free breakfast to eat, more than she would encourage the others.

what are they serving for breakfast?

I feel/felt like you. Turned out our son just looooved having two breakfasts. Even if had already eaten a bowl of cereal at home or whatever, he just liked the time around the table at school and often just had another helping. In preschool, it's an okay breakfast, often hot and often including a fruit of some sort. So I didn't mind and didn't purposefully try to miss it, especially since he liked to start his day that way, sort of like two back-to-back family meals, which I'm sure is a good thing.

DC has universal free breakfast--every school offers it for free, regardless of student family income makeup.

This is different than lunch.

Lunch is free at Title I schools--so if x% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals at the school, everyone gets it for free. If the school is not Title I, those who qualify for free/reduced price receive it, other students have the option to buy lunch.

Anonymous wrote:At DC Bilingual, I was told that breakfast is part of the school day. I didn't like that my child would be marked tardy if he arrived after breakfast; which starts at 8:15 am I think. That, among a few other things, was a deal breaker.

You are tardy at 8:11 at DCB. Breakfast is in the classroom only for PK3/PK4; other grades start class at 8:10 and are offered breakfast before hand if they want it.

At DC Bilingual, I was told that breakfast is part of the school day. I didn't like that my child would be marked tardy if he arrived after breakfast; which starts at 8:15 am I think. That, among a few other things, was a deal breaker.

At our charter, the breakfast is frankly better than what I have time to feed my kid in the mornings, but we have a great caterer. I think this morning they had boiled eggs, blueberry muffins and kiwi?

At our charter, the breakfast is frankly better than what I have time to feed my kid in the mornings, but we have a great caterer. I think this morning they had boiled eggs, blueberry muffins and kiwi?

While my child eats at home or on the way to school, if she see's something she likes she may pick at it. Otherwise, she plays in the centers.

If you are in a title 1 school, breakfast is supposed to be served in the classroom so that it is part of the school day. At our school, it is served for PK3/PK4 in classrooms, and in cafeteria for K+. In the charter we used to attend, it was served in the classroom for all grades.

At our Title 1 school, breakfast in the classroom is free for everyone. "Class" starts at 8:45, while "breakfast" is from 8:10 until 8:45. You do not have to participate in breakfast and my DD has occasionally brought in whatever she was eating on the walk to school and eaten that instead of whatever was being served.

But it depends on the school. If you listed the school, people who have experience with that school could probably tell you more.

They serve breakfast before the school day starts. So you can drop your child off at or around the time school starts and breakfast will be over.

The charter we're going to attend serves breakfast free for all students (in the classroom, I believe). Is this common? Is this actually considered part of the school day? If I would prefer that my child eat at home, what be the least disruptive course of action? Show up after the "breakfast period"? Send her with a piece of fruit to eat while others are having breakfast? Other options?

I'll ask the school, but I haven't been given the opportunity yet, and I don't really want to call and harass some front office staff that probably doesn't know the answer.