Gateway Academy Receives Eos Foundation 2026 Healthy Start Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gateway Academy Receives Eos Foundation 2026 Healthy Start Award for Serving Breakfast to at Least 80% of Students
School is one of 145 recognized across the state; nearly 90% use Breakfast in the Classroom model
Haverhill, MA (October 27, 2026) – The Eos Foundation today announced that Gateway Academy is one of 145 schools across Massachusetts that will receive a 2026 Healthy Start Award for serving school breakfast to least 80% of students. Each recognized school will receive a $500 unrestricted award, totaling over $70,000 in funding distributed across the Commonwealth.
Gateway Academy is one of 4 Haverhill Public Schools receiving this honor.
"Massachusetts is one of only nine states that has passed universal free school meals for all K-12 students, allowing us to ensure that every child begins the school day nourished and able to focus," said Andrea Silbert, President of the Eos Foundation. "Schools which provide breakfast in the classroom typically experience twice the level of student participation than before the bell school cafeteria programs. We want to celebrate the principals, teachers, school nutrition professionals, custodial staff, and entire school communities who make that possible, and highlight strategies that can help more schools achieve similar results."
Massachusetts has provided universal free meals to all students since 2023, but breakfast participation is less than half of lunch participation statewide. According to the latest data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, an average of 588,654 students ate school lunch each day in fall 2025, compared to 291,792 students who ate school breakfast, leaving nearly 300,000 kids missing out on the meal daily. At a time when many families are facing increasing economic pressure and uncertainty around access to food assistance programs, school breakfast can serve as an important nutritional safety net for children.
The awards come as the Healey-Driscoll Administration launches the Strengthening School Breakfast Challenge, a new statewide initiative aimed at increasing breakfast participation and helping more students begin the day with a healthy meal. The administration is collaborating with the Eos Foundation, Project Bread, and New England Dairy to provide schools with resources, technical assistance, and funding opportunities to build up their breakfast programs.
Research shows that how breakfast is served can significantly impact student participation. A recent Nutrition Policy Institute study found that students were three times more likely to eat school breakfast when it was served in the classroom rather than only in the cafeteria before school started. Breakfast in the Classroom helps remove common barriers to participation, including transportation schedules, family routines, and the challenges many students face in arriving early enough to eat before classes begin.
The Healthy Start Awards are part of the Eos Foundation’s broader effort to increase access to school breakfast across Massachusetts. Through Breakfast in the Classroom, Eos provides grants of up to $20,000 per school, along with technical assistance and implementation support, to help eligible schools strengthen or expand their breakfast programs. Funding can support equipment, operational expenses, and incentives that help schools incorporate breakfast into the school day.
Since launching the Healthy Start Awards in 2014, Eos has partnered with districts across Massachusetts to boost participation and recognize approaches that help students start the day ready to learn.
The complete list of 2026 Healthy Start Award recipients is available hereEOS Foundation Health Start Award.
Schools interested in learning more about Breakfast in the Classroom grants and technical assistance can visit eosfoundation.org.
About the Eos Foundation
The Eos Foundation is a private foundation focused on systemic solutions to end hunger in Massachusetts. Since 2013, Eos has supported hundreds of schools with Breakfast in the Classroom start-up grants and annually recognizes schools with at least 80% breakfast participation through its Healthy Start Awards. Learn more at eosfoundation.orgEos Foundation.
Gateway Academy Healthy Start Award Press Release