The packaged breakfasts, each with a plastic bowl, spoon and napkin, became part of the menu this fall, relieving food-service workers from some preparation and cleanup duties.

"My favorite is the Cocoa Puffs and Cinnamon Graham crackers," said Carolina Ortiz, 9. "And I'm saving the Breakfast Bucks for a soccer ball."

The bucks coupon on the back of the Breakfast Breaks package can be redeemed for merchandise, such as duffel bags, watches, magazines and even an iPod Shuffle.

Overall, Utah's scorecard on providing breakfasts to schoolchildren is below average - and failing. The state is 35th in the nation in the number of schools offering breakfast and 49th in providing breakfast to low-income children who qualify for free or reduced lunches, according to the Food Research Action Center, based in Washington, D.C.

Davis County, however, gets an A. Breakfast is offered at all of its schools. And at 12 severe-needs schools, all children begin the day by eating a simple meal in the classroom, such as pancakes, quesadillas, eggs and Breakfast Breaks. Fresh or canned fruit is always available.

"Breakfast in the classroom cuts down on tardiness, absenteeism and behavioral problems," said Don Beatty, principal of Sunset Elementary School. "And during the 10 to 15 minutes the students are eating, teachers read to them or play math or other educational videos."

Beatty cites study after study that show children who eat breakfast are more likely to eat healthier foods and are at less risk for obesity. More studies say hungry children have a hard time learning.

The new Breakfast Breaks product line, offered by ESE Dairies, based in Woodbury, N.Y., could help Utah schools that have not offered breakfast because of inadequate kitchen facilities or low participation in school food programs.

Each year, Utah loses out on more than $6 million in federal subsidies that would help pay for school breakfasts, according to the Food Research Action Center. In some schools with large numbers of low-income students, the payments could buy breakfasts for every student in the school.

Of Utah's nearly 800 schools, 574 serve breakfast, said Laura Oscarson-Wilde director of child nutrition programs at the State Office of Education. She said some schools don't offer the program because parents prefer to have breakfast at home, but added "some teachers are reporting that children are coming to school hungry."

Definitely, said Steve Blackman, a child nutrition advocate for Utahns Against Hunger. He noted that Utah schools served more than 21 million free and reduced meals to low-income children last year while providing only 5.6 million breakfasts.

"The numbers say everything," he said.

"Children are going hungry. [They come] from families where their parents are skipping meals to feed their children or skimping on meals to pay the utilities bill."

Pam Tsakalos, Davis School District's director of nutrition services, said she has ordered a third truckload of Breakfast Breaks because it's the only self-contained meal she's aware of - making it the easiest to serve - and it has become a favorite among schoolchildren.

Although some cereals in Breakfast Breaks are sweetened, "it's certainly better than a candy bar and soda pop that students were bringing to school in the mornings," she said, "and these meals are getting children in the habit of eating a nutritious breakfast."

Tami Cline, a registered dietician who has worked for the School Nutrition Association, based in Alexandria, Va., said most cereals are fortified with iron - an essential nutrient for growing children - and have a little extra sugar to minimize the iron flavor.

Breakfast Breaks meet U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, which require morning meals to contain one quarter of a student's needs for calories, protein, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. Meeting the standard also means the breakfasts qualify for federal subsidies, so schools can be reimbursed for free meals as well as a portion of student-paid meals.

Dave Horowitz, vice president of sales and marketing of ESE Dairies, a subsidiary of East Side Entrees, said Breakfast Breaks were designed to get more schools to offer breakfasts. Schools that encounter refrigeration problems or run into emergencies can buy the firm's shelf-stable milk that requires no cooling until cartons are opened. ESE already sells shelf-stable milk to half the state's 29 school districts.

Meantime, Jordan School District, the state's largest, is more representative of most Utah schools. While all eight Jordan District high schools offer breakfast, only nine of its 17 middle schools and 18 of its 28 elementary schools do. Jordan leaves it up to principals to decide whether to offer breakfast, said Karen Jermyn from the district's nutrition office.

"We'd like breakfast to be offered in all our schools," she said. "And each year we're getting closer."

dawn@sltrib.com