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Home / New Zealand

KickStart boost spells problems

By Vomie Springford
Wairarapa Times-Age·
29 May, 2013 06:31 PM3 mins to read

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More Weet-Bix and milk in schools will mean kids get a good start to the day, thanks to the Government's $9.5 million boost to the KickStart breakfast scheme for low decile schools.

But not all schools can make the most of the scheme and it is "not just that simple", a local principal says.

To eat the breakfast kids need bowls and cutlery, which the school does not have, says Sue Walters, principal of Masterton Primary School.

"Maybe they can just get the Weet-Bix and milk in their hands?

"It would seem the finer points of the plan are missing."

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The school used to run a breakfast club but they did not have enough volunteers to keep it going, she said.

To run the scheme, there were other problems. "Where are you going to store the milk? Where would you feed the kids?"

Ms Walters said a lot of low decile schools did not have resources such as bowls, fridges or even a place to eat the food, like a school hall.

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She said the Government had not thought the scheme through or given details on how it would actually work for low decile schools.

The KickStart breakfast scheme is a joint government effort with Fonterra and Sanitarium, and provides free milk and Weetbix twice a week to decile 1-4 schools.

On Tuesday the Government announced it would inject $1.9 million a year over five years into the scheme as a response to child poverty.

The money means the KickStart breakfast can now be provided every day of the school week.

The principal of Carterton School, Alison Woollard, said it was great the breakfast could be rolled out every day.

The school currently runs the scheme and will extend it to five days a week for the 30-40 children who use it.

As well as getting milk and Weet-Bix, the school received bread donated by Wild Oats Cafe, she said.

She said the school would need more volunteers, especially if children came every day.

Phil Robertson, principal of Featherston School, said it already ran a breakfast club five days a week, thanks to strong community support.

Volunteers, the KickStart companies, local businesses and trusts allowed it to run all week, serving a third of the 60 children at the school.

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He said their club "is a bit different". It was not just feeding kids who needed it but was also a positive, social time for children.

"Especially on cold days, kids come in for a hot cup of Milo and a chat."

Carly Robinson, Fonterra's group general manager global co-operative responsibility, said the scheme aimed to provide food to children who needed it most.

"It's helping to give kids a boost, to both their school day and their future, by ensuring they have a healthy start and a full stomach to keep them alert in the classroom," she said.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett believes the Government had struck the right balance by supporting the KickStart Breakfast expansion.

"Parents are responsible for feeding their children. But we can't ignore the fact that some children turn up hungry and can't learn on an empty stomach."

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KickStart Breakfast, now in its fifth year, currently provides breakfasts to 570 schools.

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