Each year of a child’s life is important, but when it comes to development, the first five are the most critical.

The first five years are marked by rapid brain development that is unmatched by any other period of life.

A number of factors determine brain development in children, and one that cannot be overlooked is nutrition.

Studies show that children who start their day with a nutritious breakfast arrive at school ready to learn and are able to concentrate, participate and focus on school — not their empty stomachs.

Making sure nutritious meals are available to all children each day is one of the best ways we can ensure that they receive the healthy food they need to learn and grow.

The Studer Community Institute’s recently updated Pensacola Metro Dashboard showed that 66 percent of the children in the Escambia County School District qualify for free or reduced-priced school meals.

Unfortunately, when school lets out for the summer, children who qualify for free and reduced-priced meals are left on their own with little to nothing to eat at home.

Many children who rely on a nutritious breakfast and lunch at school are at risk of being hungry during the summer break.

But not this year. Not in Escambia County.

Starting June 6 through July 28, every child in the county can get free breakfast and lunch as part of the Summer Breakspot program. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and will operated by the Community in Schools at Weis Elementary School.

Breakfast will be served Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Lunch is available from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m.

“Lots of families that eat breakfast and lunch in school face hardship in the summer when school is out,” said Leigh Ann South, director of Community in Schools at Weis. “When school is out, we want to be an open site and feed our community.”

The Community in Schools model makes schools a hub of community and social services to support students and their families. It has been implemented in schools since the early 1990s, beginning in New York City and spreading across the country to improve educational outcomes particularly in poor neighborhoods.

Federal regulations require meal sites to be within school districts and zones where 50 percent or more of the school-age children qualify for free or reduced meals. Program organizers must choose whether to serve breakfast or lunch. Anyone age 18 or younger is fed, regardless of income.

In Florida, nearly one million children are at risk of hunger during the summer when school is not in session. In Escambia County alone more 26,400 of 40,000 students qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.

That means that many of those children who get free meals during the school year may face a long, hot summer uncertain from where their next meal will come.

We all know by now the impact that poverty has on education.

In the full scope of education, poverty is recognized as an impediment to academic achievement and success in school. And not every school district is able to meet the challenge that poverty presents to make education meaningful and worthwhile for children suffering from socio-economically deprived lives.

Weis’ Community School is a sound strategy for organizing the resources of the community around student success through partnerships between the school and other community groups, agencies and businesses.

At a community school the focus is on academics, services, supports and opportunities that typically leads to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities

By making schools like Weis the hubs of their communities and engaging a range of partners with expertise and resources, community schools have shown to support students’ needs and boost their learning.

Even though the Summer Breakspot program is for any child under the age of 18, many of the older children have siblings between the ages of 0 to 5 years old.

Among other things, good nutrition has a direct and strong impact on a young child’s readiness for and success in school.

Nourishment is critical for child development, and the Summer Breakspot Program at Weis Elementary is essential to ensure that all children have access to the nutritional resources they need.