KickStart Breakfast

Healthy eating has become such an important focus at Leabank School in Manurewa that parents officially launched a Charitable Trust at the beginning of May. The Trust will support the schools Breakfast Club which helps around 90 children start the day on a full tummy two times a week.

Breakfast co-ordinator Angela Opai says the Charitable Trust will be used to help meet family needs, and to educate parents that healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive. “The Trust will help families through education, support and guidance, food packages and more – depending on the individual need."

“Already they have assisted Leabank School by providing us with a fridge to store the milk,” says Angela.
The Breakfast Club starts at 8am and is run by parents on a roster system, with approximately three sitting in on each breakfast.

“In addition to the nutritional benefits of breakfast, we teach kids how to conduct themselves properly at the table during meal times. They’re given advice on how to correctly use their utensils, and we encourage them to have conversations with each other."

“It is fantastic to see the quieter, shyer students holding conversations with other children – it is very beneficial all round.” Over the course of term one, parent groups and some teachers at Leabank School filled out assessment forms on how they thought the children were performing on club mornings. “The results haven’t been fully collated, but they are very positive, with most teachers noticing an improvement in concentration levels.”