By Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer

CCory Gilbert, 5, of North College Hill eats a fruit bar and juice in his kindergarten room at the Goodman Elementary Tuesday. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

NORTH COLLEGE HILL - Little Cory Gilbert's day was starting out in low gear.

The kindergartner at Goodman Elementary slumped into his homeroom seat just after 8 a.m. Tuesday, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. He slowly unwrapped a strawberry-flavored, vitamin-fortified breakfast bar and took small bites washed down by orange juice.

Within minutes the 5-year-old's mood perked up. He had breakfast at home earlier but the second morning meal was enough to jump-start his school day.

"I like eating breakfast at school," Cory said with his first smile of the school day.

It's a scene repeated throughout this Hamilton County school district every weekday morning, thanks to a new program of free breakfast for all of North College Hill's 1,500-plus students.

The so-called "universal breakfast" program is rare among Greater Cincinnati school systems, says North College Hill Superintendent Gary Gellert.

But the reasoning behind it is simple, Gellert said: Well-fed students are better students.

"Research shows free breakfasts will have a positive impact on our students, and it already has," he said of the program that provides breakfast foods - varying daily among nutritional bars, fruit, yogurt, cereal, milk, bagels, breakfast burritos and juice - to all North College Hill students regardless of family income.

Already, Gellert said, fewer students complain about being hungry, student attention levels have improved and tardiness is down.

Most public schools have federally subsidized free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch for students who qualify because of their family's low income. But North College Hill and Lockland are among the few area districts to offer free breakfast to all kids. At North College Hill, the cost of the program, which won't be calculated until later in the school year, will be largely covered by the general fund. The exact number of students participating isn't known.

"In past years, kids were coming into the school office in the morning with stomachaches from hunger," said Gellert."It was sad."

Joanna Sears, Goodman's principal, echoed the superintendent.

"What we hope to gain with the breakfast program is better concentration in the mornings. If we don't feed the kids, they aren't going to learn anything."

E-mail mclark@enquirer.com