It’s late in the game. Bottom of the 9^th. Bases loaded. And two outs. In other words, do or die time.

A bill before the Washington state legislature is at risk of not making it past Friday. It might die in the Senate before it has a chance of being heard by all of the legislators who represent Washingtonians, including low-income children.

So what is this bill and why is it important?

Senate Bill 5696 is nicknamed “Breakfast After the Bell” bill.

Breakfast After the Bell is a United Way program that gives kids in high-need schools food where and when it matters. Schools where at least 70 % of students are eligible for free or reduced price meals would be required to offer breakfast after the start of the school day.

Research shows students who eat breakfast have better attendance, improved test scores, and are overall more likely to do better in school.  But Washington rates a dismal 45 out of 50 states when it comes to low-income students participating in breakfast and lunch programs.

We can do better. We can feed kids nutritious classroom breakfasts while they’re learning. We can leverage $24 million in federal funds to help reach 25,000 kids across the state daily.

We can do this, but we need your help. Send a one-line message to your state representative, especially if they’re on the Ways and Means Committee. (Not sure if they are? Check here.) Share this post with your network. Be a bell ringer so all kids are ready to learn in the classroom.