I’m competitive by nature – I don’t need to be 1^st place in everything, but being toward the head of the pack always feels better. Whether that pack is a group of friends running a 10K or a friendly game of Bananagrams, I’d rather be toward the front.

So, not 1^st . . .  but 41^st? There aren’t many things I’d like to be 41^st in. Particularly when it’s 41^st out of 50. That’s where Washington state is in terms of making sure low-income kids have food in their bellies so they can learn. 40 states do a better job than we do serving up breakfast and lunch to low-income kids during the school day so they can fully participate in learning.

Whether you think it’s the right thing to do – kids in King County shouldn’t have to skip meals and be embarrassed when their tummy growls in class . . .

Or whether you think it’s the smart thing to do – how much good do your tax dollars do if kids can’t concentrate enough to learn? How much do kids that aren’t learning hold back your own kids that could be learning more .

We hope you’ll get involved. Let you legislator know you support the idea of bringing Breakfast After the Bell to kids. It removes the stigma of needing to go to a ‘special line‘ for subsidized food and puts everyone’s grumbling tummies on a level playing field to start their day. There are teachers all around the state advocating for this bill to pass – citing it as a no-brainer for the benefits teachers and kids will reap throughout the school day. Let your legislator know how you feel about the issue.