Survey: Teachers report students 'regularly' come to school hungry
When a handful of students consistently showed up for school lethargic and unfocused, second-grade teacher Robin Sutherland discreetly posed a question: Did you have breakfast?
Soon after, she began stopping off at the grocery store to pick up nutrition-packed drinks, or peanut butter and crackers — anything that might give them a protein kick-start.
"Their scores increased, their focus got better," said Sutherland, who oversees mostly low-income students at Queen Palmer Elementary in Colorado Springs. "It really helped them academically."
Eventually, she found a church group willing to share the cost — and now a school-wide program takes care of all students who may not get a nutritious breakfast at home.
More than half of Colorado teachers dip into their own pockets to buy food for hungry
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