Food & Nutrition

Governor's School Breakfast Challenge

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.

Governor Shapiro shaking hands with student

2025 Governor School Breakfast Challenge Participants

Check out photos from Governor Shapiro's announcement of the 2025 Governor's Breakfast Champions at Lincoln Financial Field. 

  • Bethlehem Center School District: Bethlehem Center Elementary School
  • Colonial School District: Colonial Elementary School
  • Minersville Area School District: Minersville Area Jr/Sr High School
  • North Penn School District: Walton Farm Elementary School
  • North Penn School District: North Wales elementary School
  • Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship: Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship
  • Wallenpaupack Area School District: Wallenpaupack Area High School
  • Wallenpaupack Area School District: Wallenpaupack North Intermediate School
  • Wallenpaupack Area School District: Wallenpaupack North Primary School
  • Wallenpaupack Area School District: Wallenpaupack Area South Elementary School

  • Berwick Area School District: East Berwick Elementary School
  • Berwick Area School District: Berwick Area High School
  • Berwick Area School District: Berwick Area Middle School
  • Berwick Area School District: West Berwick Elementary School
  • Bethlehem Center School District: Bethlehem Center Elementary School
  • Bethlehem Center School District: Bethlehem Center JR SR High School
  • Canon-McMillan School District: South Central Elementary School
  • Canon-McMillan School District: Muse Elementary School
  • Canon-McMillan School District: Canon McMillan Senior High School
  • Colonial School District: Plymouth Elementary School
  • Colonial School District: Whitemarsh Elementary School
  • Colonial School District: Conshohocken Elementary School
  • Colonial School District: Ridge Park Elementary
  • Colonial School District: Colonial Middle School
  • Colonial School District: Plymouth Whitemarsh HS
  • Colonial School District:  Colonial Elementary School
  • East Lycoming School District : Hughesville JR / Sr High School
  • Easton Area School District: Easton Area Middle School
  • Ellwood City Area School District: Lincoln JSHS
  • Ephrata Area School District: Clay Elementary
  • Global Leadership Academy Charter School: Global Leadership Academy Charter School
  • Global Leadership Academy Charter School South West at Huey: Global Leadership Academy Charter School South West at Huey
  • Harrisburg City School District: Rowland Academy
  • Hempfield School District: Landisville Middle School
  • Lakeview School District: Oakview  Elementary School
  • Mastery Charter School: Mastery Charter School - Pickett Campus
  • Minersville Area School District: Minersville Area Jr/Sr High School
  • Minersville Area School District: Minersville Area Elementary School
  • North Penn School District: Walton Farm Elementary School
  • North Penn School District: North Wales elementary School
  • North Penn School District: General Nash Elementary School
  • North Penn School District: Inglewood Elementary School
  • North Penn School District: Gwynedd Square Elementary School
  • North Penn School District: Bridle Path Elementary School
  • North Penn School District: Pennbrook Middle School
  • North Penn School District: Hatfield Elementary School
  • North Penn School District: Penndale Middle School
  • Penn HIlls Charter School of Entrepenuership: Penn HIlls Charter School of Entrepenuership
  • Perkiomen Valley School District: Perkiomen Valley High School
  • Pleasant Valley School District: Pleasant Valley Middle School
  • Pleasant Valley School District: Pleasant Valley Elementary School
  • Pleasant Valley School District: Pleasant Valley Intermediate School
  • Pocono Mountain School District: Swiftwater Elementary School
  • Reading School District: Reading SHS
  • Seven Generations Charter School Inc: Seven Generations Charter School
  • Upper Dublin School District: Maple Glen Elementary School
  • Upper Dublin School District: Fort Washington Elementary School
  • Upper Dublin School District: Jarrettown Elementary School
  • Upper Dublin School District: Sandy Run Middle School
  • Upper Dublin School District: Upper Dublin High School
  • Upper Dublin School District: Thomas Fitzwater Elementary School
  • Upper Merion Area School District: Gulph Elementary School
  • Wallenpaupack Area School District: Wallenpaupack Area High School
  • Wallenpaupack Area School District: Wallenpaupack North Intermediate School
  • Wallenpaupack Area School District: Wallenpaupack North Primary School
  • Wallenpaupack Area School District: Wallenpaupack Area Middle School
  • Wallenpaupack Area School District: Wallenpaupack Area South Elementary School
  • York Suburban School District: York Suburban High School

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.

School food authorities can use this Breakfast Challenge checklist to track their completion of the requirements for each month to ensure they meet all criteria.

  • 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 the Breakfast Challenge attestation form confirming 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. ​