Springfield’s Breakfast in the Classroom seen as a model to be replicated
SPRINGFIELD – Fifth-graders Eailyanni DeJesus and Mariangely Gomez sat across from each other, drinking juice and milk, one eating a chocolate muffin and the other spooning up cereal.
For the two, starting the day grabbing apples, bananas, graham crackers and egg sandwiches is just part of their daily routine. For teachers, it means preparing children to learn.
In the latest government shutdown that left already struggling families without their regular SNAP benefits , the free breakfast has been a lifeline.
Massachusetts Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler visited the Rebecca Johnson School Monday to learn more about the free Breakfast in the Classroom program that has been in Springfield since 2012 so it can be expanded it to other communities.
He was joined by representatives of the Boston-based Eos Foundation, a philanthropic foundation designed to ensure children have access to good food and a solid education.
"I like breakfast in school because we get to communicate with our classmates and we get to read books while we are eating," Eailyanni said.
Abdullah Alkherat, 11, chooses breakfast in his 5th grade classroom at the Rebecca M. Johnson School on Monday morning. Nov. 10, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
The girls had their favorite foods, but what they liked even more is that their teacher, Rochelle Maynard Gonzalez, plays music and dances and talks to them. And she gives them free time when they can read books they select weekly from the school library.
Gonzalez, who worked in New York City before coming to Springfield, said there are so many benefits to Breakfast in the Classroom. She can chat with children and find out their moods and if they are facing any challenges. And of course they aren't distracted by hunger when they sit down to learn.
"If you don't have sustenance the first thing in the morning, your brain isn't functioning as well," she said. "At least here you know they have breakfast."
Tutwiler stopped to chat with students during breakfast, getting their opinions about their favorite offerings (the cinnamon cereal and chocolate muffins have a high approval rating) and talked to them about other things, such as the books they were reading.
Addison Mogike, 12, enjoys the Breakfast in the Classroom program in her 5th grade classroom. Her favorite is the apple. Nov. 10, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
"We see this as a critical piece of increasing outcomes," Tutwiler said. "It is exceptionally important. We don't want to leave access to nutritious meals to chance."
The meals are mostly made fresh through Home Grown Springfield and Sodexo, the company that provides breakfast and lunch to the city's roughly 27,000 students daily.
Cooks continue to work to make the meals as healthy as possible. Instead of purchasing muffins, for example, they are made in-house from whole grains, eliminating chemicals often found in store-bought muffins or mixes. All meals come with fresh fruit and milk, said Andrew Stratton, general manager of Home Grown Springfield.
Statewide, every child receives free breakfast and lunch. In Springfield, the $29 million needed to feed the students is 100% reimbursed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Patrick Roach, chief financial and operations director for the school department.
In a place like the Rebecca Johnson School, where 93% of the nearly 700 elementary school children are from low-income families, those meals are always important but became vital when SNAP benefits were cut off due to the government shutdown. They were restored this week, said Superintendent Sonia Dinnall.
"Eating is not a privilege, it is a human right," she said. "This should never be an issue in the United States."
Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Sonia E. Dinnall and Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler talk at Rebecca M. Johnson School in Springfield on Monday morning. Nov. 10, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
Along with free breakfast and lunch, Springfield offers dinner in some cases to children who stay late for educational programs such sports, tutoring and clubs. They are trying to expand that in the future, she said.
Principal Christopher Sutton said he finds the Breakfast in the Classroom and the recently updated library to be a perfect marriage. Children have a little uninterrupted time to read the books they enjoy the most.
Rebecca Johnson is one of the few elementary schools in the city that has a full-time librarian, who also runs after-school book clubs and other events.
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