4 days ago
News in Easy English: Free breakfast at Osaka Pref. schools helps children start the day
IZUMISANO, Osaka -- In Izumisano city, elementary school students can get free breakfast at school twice a week. This program is called the "children's breakfast cafeteria." It is very popular, and the city will soon offer it at all of its 13 schools.
On a morning in July, children came to Chounan Elementary School to eat breakfast before class. The menu was "summer vegetable chicken curry" with many vegetables, cherry tomatoes and bananas. One sixth grade boy said, "It's fun to eat with friends." A fifth grade girl said, "I feel energized. When I eat breakfast at home, I get hungry by the end of the second period, but on days I use the breakfast cafeteria, I can hold out until the third period."
On that day, 47 students used the service, about 15% of the school. The principal, Mikito Yoshioka, said, "The children enjoy eating breakfast together with peers from different classes and grades, smiling and creating a pleasant atmosphere. It's wonderful to see them go to class with energy."
The breakfast menu changes every month. Head cook Satoko Tsujino said, "Seeing the lively atmosphere makes me happy, thinking, 'They're energetic today, too.'"
Any student can use the breakfast service. The city started the program after hearing that some children did not eat breakfast at home because their parents were busy or they woke up late. The city first tried the program at two schools in 2023. Now, more than 20% of children in the city use the service.
The city says the program helps children eat better, make friends, and feel happy at school. It also helps them want to come to school and learn.
(Japanese original by Tadakazu Nakamura, Izumisano Resident Bureau)
Vocabulary
cafeteria: a place in a school where students eat meals
energized: feeling strong and ready to do things
principal: the leader of a school
atmosphere: the feeling or mood in a place
