How To Plan a Breakfast

If you found this post, you must be getting ready to plan an appreciation breakfast at your school. YOU ARE AMAZING! Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to make the teachers and staff feel loved. 

In addition to this post, I created a free downloadable "Appreciation Breakfast: Planning Worksheets and Checklist" that walks you through the entire planning process; from asking the essential questions before you begin, to packaging up a plate of food for the night custodians, who always miss the fun appreciation events. I'll share with you my tips and tricks, my exact SignUp Genius wording, and make this process as streamlined as possible.  

How to plan a Teacher Appreciation Breakfast - Instructions with planning guide and checklists

Choosing a Theme


So many fun themes, and so little time! Our printables shop has an assortment of breakfast and coffee printables, but the sky is the limit! What will you choose? Things to keep in mind:

  • Time of year. Are seasonal decorations readily available?
  • Theme request? Does the PTA or a staff member have a particular theme request? For instance, a "Back to School" breakfast, or an author visit?
  • Are decorations and supplies readily available? I started designing printables because there was nothing in the Dr. Seuss theme I was planning. Don't do that to yourself. LOL! 

 

Coordinating Volunteers


It's true. The success of any school event depends on the number of and willingness of your fellow parent volunteers. You want to make it as easy as possible for them to contribute to your breakfast.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

  • Give plenty of lead time. If you know you are having a monthly breakfast, and have the dates scheduled out for the entire year, provide a list of dates as soon as they are confirmed.
  • Send an email about your event one month in advance. If you are anything like me, your calendar fills up fast! You want to get the breakfast on your volunteers' radar with plenty of notice.
  • Use SignUp Genius for your sign up. SignUp Genius makes it easy to create an event, track who has signed up to bring an item, and quickly see which items you may need to supplement. You can contact everyone on the sign up with the click of a button, AND if you are planning more than one breakfast, you can duplicate the sign up! It is a huge time saver. As an added bonus, SignUp Genius will automatically send everyone a reminder two days before the event. Did I mention it was free?!
  • Remind, remind, remind.One week before the event, send a follow-up email to any volunteers who haven't signed up to bring anything yet. I can't tell you how many times I have read an email on my phone, made a mental note to respond later, then promptly forgot. Reminders are very much appreciated.
  • Multiple Drop Off Times.Procuring breakfast items can be tricky due to the time of day. What are youdoing before school? Getting yourself and the kids ready, right?! It's craziness. To make it easier on your volunteers, offer multiple drop off times: in the staff lounge after school the day before, or your home the evening before. Admittedly, that does make unloading your car take longer the morning of, but you should receive enough breakfast items.

 

The Sign Up Form 


You've already read the many reasons why I love SignUp Genius. Now it's time to dive into sign up specifics. The number of staff members will dictate quantities, so I can't help you there, but I can provide other guidance.

THE SPECIFICS

  • The event description should include the location, day, and time of drop off.
  • How would you like the items delivered? (Disposable containers?)
  • When/where should they pick up their serving platters?
  • Would you prefer homemade items?
  • Make a note if there are any food allergies. (No peanuts, for example.)
  • Include your name and contact information in case anyone has questions.

THE FOOD

It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Despite that (and given that teachers are mostly female) they don't typically eat big breakfasts, so go easy. You want to cover all your bases, but keep in mind that very few people will fill their plates with food first thing in the morning. Some will want to splurge and have a pastry, but in my experience, the items that go fastest are the healthier grab-and-go type items: yogurt, fruit, KIND bars, muffins... 

  • Include options for all diets: gluten-free, protein-based, low-calorie, vegan, etc. 
  • Don't forget the coffee! Include K-Cups or ground coffee in you sign up, along with an assortment of creamers.
  • Breakfast casseroles are always a big hit.
  • KIND Bars are the first to go, every time.
  • Be very specific regarding quantity and type. Do you want one dozen blueberry muffins? Ask for twelve, or you may receive a 6-pack from the grocery store. (It's happened to me.) Do you want orange juice? Specify container size, or you may receive a can of frozen concentrate. You laugh, but it's not so funny the morning of your breakfast. (I can laugh about it now...)

MISCELLANEOUS

Other items you may consider asking for: tablecloths, paper plates, napkins, flowers, volunteers to set up, volunteers to clean up, etc. Again, be specific regarding quantity, size, and color.

 

Set Up and Clean Up 


Setting up is my favorite part of any event. I love making the tables look just right. The person setting up and receiving the food may be you, or multiple volunteers.

SET UP

If you are the person setting up, you should have the tablecloth, plates, napkins, cutlery, cups, decorations, and (of course) printables with you.

  • If another volunteer is setting up, bring the supplies the day before. Trust me. The morning of is nevera good plan. People always have the best intentions of getting to school early and then... their child has a meltdown, or they can't find their homework. You get the idea. We've all been there. Instead, drop the supplies off the day before and tell the set up person where they are located. (Under the food table is my go-to spot.)
  • TIME-SAVING TIP:If you are in charge of set up, do it after school the day before. As I said, mornings can be crazy. Save yourself some time and get the table set up the afternoon before. The morning of, simply arrange the food as it arrives!
  • Be sure to ask the school secretary or office manager if there is a specific spot you should set up. Some schools are just thrilled you are bringing in treats; others are very particular about how they would like things done. I've had kids at both.
  • If you have a large school and a significant number of people dropping food off, recruit a second person to receive the food and check it off the sign up sheet. You or another volunteer can find a place for the item on the pretty table.
  • PRO TIP: When I first started planning these events, I would customize all of the food labels ahead of time. I do as much in advance as I possibly can. The labels were set out for the parents to find when they dropped off their food items. That worked well roughly half the time. The other half of the time, people made something else, or completely forget. Now, I print the blank food labels and fill them out as the food arrives.

CLEAN UP

This section was tricky for me to write. I don't want to scare you off (amazing appreciation planner that you are), but I want you to be prepared. Here's the thing, you are probably going to be the one cleaning up. It's not that parents are unwilling; it's the timing. Often parents are at work when clean up needs to happen, or they are at home with a toddler, and we all know toddlers create more workwhen you try to bring them along to do anything.

  • I aim to clean up breakfast two hours after school starts. The staff likes to come in during their first snack break and grab a quick bite if there are leftovers.
  • Anything safe at room temperature (fruit, granola bars, etc.) I leave out. Items that need to be refrigerated (extra yogurt, leftover casserole, etc.) I put in the staff refrigerator.
  • If there is a whiteboard in the staff lounge, write a note letting everyone know that leftover items are in the fridge for them to enjoy.

TIPS AND TRICKS

  • If your child is at a school with required volunteer hours, offer double the hours for anyone who volunteers for clean up duty.
  • Request that parents bring food items in disposable serving dishes or on paper plates. This reduces clean up and saves you time tracking people down later when they inevitably forget to pick up their serving platters.
  • Use a portion of your budget to buy Press and Seal wrap. Yes, that brand specifically. It seals the food and stays put. I also highly recommend gallon-sized storage bags.
  • Before putting anything away, double-check with the secretary or front office manager. Sometimes they want the food left out.
  • Put together a little "breakfast" plate for the night custodian(s) and leave them a note. They always miss the fun appreciation events. I got to be good friends with them over the years. They are, after all, the ones that vacuum up the aftermath, and let you into locked rooms after school when you are setting up for events the following day.

Breakfast Ideas


You can read about the specifics of themed breakfasts I have coordinated below:

Pink Yink Ink Drink Breakfast (Dr. Seuss)
Super Charged Breakfast (Superhero)
Blast Off Breakfast (Space)
Breakfast Assembly Station (LEGO)
Breakfast Bonanza (Western)

 

It's Your Turn!


Are you feeling prepared and ready to plan a breakfast for the superstars at your school?! I created a Planning Worksheet and Checklist to walk you through the process. It has additional helpful information and lists not included in this post. You can do it!