Feed the Kids: a fact sheet
Posted on December 4, 2012 by admin in Feed the Kids, NewsA Fact Sheet on the Education (Breakfast and Lunch Programmes in Schools) Amendment Bill
What does the Bill do?
The Bill seeks to introduce nutritious, fully state-funded breakfast and lunch programmes into all decile 1 and 2 schools in New Zealand.
Child poverty in New Zealand
We know that there are many factors that lead to poverty, such as increasing unemployment, low incomes, poorly targeted welfare and intergenerational benefit dependency.
What we also know is that child poverty in New Zealand has doubled over the last 30 years. Using official household income statistics, it is estimated that 270,000 (25%) children live in poverty, a comparison that ranks us very poorly alongside other OECD and developed nations.
Poverty is the single largest contributor to educational under-achievement, and has resulted in epidemic levels of third-world diseases like rheumatic fever in many low-income communities.
Because of that level of poverty many children go to school without a proper breakfast and lunch. Research tells us that hungry children find it difficult to concentrate and learn and that their health and achievement levels suffer significantly as a result.
Feed the Kids: an immediate step to help address child poverty
Research into food-in-school programmes, both here and overseas, shows that they have a positive impact on school attendance, learning achievement, and child health.
Key organisations such as Every Child Counts, the Child Poverty Action Group, and the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group – have recommended food programmes in schools as an immediate way to help address child poverty in New Zealand.
The aim of this Bill is to feed children so that their wellbeing and learning at school is improved.
The Bill also recognises the importance of charities, businesses, and school volunteers currently involved in food in schools programmes and they will be important to the success of this policy, but reliance on charity and volunteers is often uncertain, especially in difficult economic times.
State funded breakfast and lunch programmes will bring certainty and ensure that all children in decile 1 and 2 schools are able to learn at school and be well on an on-going basis.
Do other countries provide state-funded free school meals?
Finland and Sweden provide state-funded free school meals. Other countries like the UK and Scotland provide state-funded free meals to eligible students, and some such as Brazil and Chile provide state-funded free meals to schools with high levels of deprivation.
Cost
$100 million a year – including food, staffing, administration, monitoring and evaluation
How would the Feed the Kids programme work?
Government would provide funding to ensure all decile 1 and 2 schools are able to provide nutritional breakfasts and lunches to all their students.
Part of the funding would be used to employ somebody to co-ordinate the programme and work with local businesses, charitable organisations, other schools, community networks, and of course school families themselves, to buy food and prepare meals.
The funding will also cover all food costs although donations of food will still be welcomed.
The bill gives schools the flexibility to implement practices that work best for them.
Susan Dunlop says:
Post Author February 13, 2013 at 1:38 pmWe are a 1a decile school and mostly, 100% of our children bring healthy kai to school everyday. Our roll ends the year at 350-400 and over a period of six years we have turned the food culture around. Rather than looking outwards for soltions we have looked inwards and empowered our parents with the knowledge and skills they need to be able to provide healthy kai for their children. Their aroha is reflected in the food that comes to school everyday.
Members of our school community see the recent media hysteria as insulting to them as parents and disempowering. Not “ALL” children in decile 1-3 schools need state funded meals and why would such a bill exclude the struggling children in higher decile schools where it is often harder for parents with higher school fees etc. What about the high income earning parents that have children attending a 1-3 decile school?
Before such a Bill is passed all sides of the same story need to be explored and sadly ‘Campbell Live’ and ‘Kids Can’ only portray one side. ‘Freebies’ aren’t the answer and we prefer to celebrate parents who are doing their parenting role well, sending their kids to school everyday with healthy kai. At times we will send bread and spreads home to parents to acknowledge the great job they are doing in providing healthy school lunches for their children. We are happy for anyone to come and check out our happy kids eating healthy kai any day of the week.
“Give a man a fish feed him for a day, teach a man to fish feed him for a lifetime.”
Nicolas says:
Post Author September 23, 2013 at 2:38 amAfter I originally commented I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is
added I get four emails with the exact same comment.
Is there an easy method you can remove me from that service?
Thanks!
admin says:
Post Author September 27, 2013 at 5:17 pmThanks for that will have a look for you. But in the meantime have a look in your facebook app settings for the app you gave permission to receive updates from, either delete the app completely or change the settings from there. Let us know how you get on.
Meat Thermometer says:
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