Healthy Food for All has developed 'A Good Practice Guide for Breakfast Clubs', which provides practical advice on setting up and running breakfast clubs in schools and community settings.
The Guide is available to download from their website: www.healthyfoodforall.com
Hard copies are also available - just email breakfastclub@healthyfoodforall.com to order a free copy.
Healthy Food for All is an all-island initiative seeking to combat food poverty by promoting access, availability and affordability of healthy food for low-income groups.
The Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Report found that 13% of Irish schoolchildren never eat breakfast on a weekday with a marked increase seen in those from lower social classes, girls and older children. In this same study 21% of schoolchildren reported ever going to bed or school hungry as there is not enough food at home. Children going to school hungry cannot fully participate in class which can have a detrimental impact on their personal, cognitive, social and educational development.
There are a number of reasons why children do not eat breakfast. These include poor appetite in early morning, working parents who need to drop children, and lack of food in the home. Breakfast clubs are a great opportunity to ensure that children who may not have breakfast before attending school do so.
Breakfast clubs are more than just a means of providing food to children. They can be an additional opportunity to support children to develop social and personal skills in a non-classroom setting. They are also a chance for children and parents to engage with school staff on an informal basis and can be an important support service for many families.
To download a copy of A Good Practice Guide for Breakfast Clubs click here or see the attachment below to download a flyer for the Guide that was sent out to all schools as part of a pack from the Department of Education.