News
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Based on recent media focus on “hungry kids”, we thought we’d provide you with an update on how the programme is set up, why its run this way and our recent school stats.
In today’s fast paced society nutrition can sometimes be compromised due to our lifestyles. Fonterra and Sanitarium’s core business supports health and wellbeing and with KickStart Breakfast nutrition is fundamental.
KickStart Breakfast began as a milk in schools trial by Fonterra in 2008 and was then joined by Sanitarium at the start of 2009. We now serve more than 30,000 nutritious breakfasts each week in over 485 of the 1000 decile 1 – 4 schools. By the end of 2011 the KickStart Breakfast programme will have provided over 2.5 million breakfasts nationwide.
KickStart Breakfast provides free Anchor Mega Milk and Weet-Bix to schools under the auspices of the schools’ breakfast clubs and operates at a maximum of 2 days a week. The goal is to encourage good breakfast habits and teach kids a breakfast pattern they can replicate at home rather than take over parental responsibility. For this reason we are not looking to run programs every day.
The programme is based on an innovative community partnership model, which works in collaboration with the school communities to provide healthy breakfasts to children.
- Fonterra and Sanitarium provide the Anchor Mega Milk and Weet-Bix, and each school community is responsible for delivering the programme to its students.
- As such, Fonterra and Sanitarium’s efforts can be focused on the critical aspect of food rather than logistical challenges such as providing bowls and utensils, thus allowing more schools to join the programme.
KickStart Breakfast also touches local communities with parents and volunteers giving their time and energy to support the initiative. In 23%* of schools surveyed these people set up and run the breakfast programmes.
From the surveys we have undertaken with schools, teachers report benefits in addition to nutrition. These include: **
- Improvements in literacy and numeracy levels
- Happier children who have more energy and are able to concentrate longer
- Children are no longer eating junk food at morning tea
- The club provides a great environment for children to socialise together
- The older children are taking on responsibility and looking after the younger ones.
The breakfast clubs also provide the space for children to develop social and life skills they can take into adulthood. This is where the long term success begins. The KickStart Breakfast programme has the potential to keep delivering benefits that extend far beyond the years children are at school by teaching self reliance through education.
Quick facts:
- Over 30,000 breakfasts are delivered weekly
- To over 18,000 children nationwide
- In decile 1-4 schools, where the need is the greatest
- In June 2011 KickStart Breakfast will have provided over 2 million breakfasts
- To date (Term 3 2011) we now have nearly 50% or 488 schools on the programme and believe we have the majority of eligible schools that want to participate
*Phone survey with participating schools July 09 (n= 276)
**Online survey with participating schools, November 09 (n=299)
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Welcome to the 56 new schools that have joined us for Term 3-2011. We would like to thank you all for completing the enrolment process and taking the time to put a breakfast club into action that we know your students will enjoy.
Also a special welcome to the 50 schools that have joined us from the Red Cross Breakfast in schools programme.
As many of you might be aware the Red Cross Breakfast in schools programme unfortunately came to a close at the end of Term 2-2011. The programme supported decile one schools five days a week and provided a variety of food such as toast and spreads. To ensure the children of the Red Cross will continue to have a healthy start to their day we worked collaboratively to offer all of the 61 schools the opportunity to join our programme for a Term 3-2011 start.
With 56 new schools on board of the KickStart Breakfast programme the total number of schools involved is now at 488.
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The below article is a great example of how one of our KickStart Breakfast schools is taking real ownership of their breakfast club and providing more variety for their students. The story by Jill Cleave was run by the Hauraki Herald on 24 June 2011.
Garage sale rewards to fill hungry tummies
Waihi East School is the place to find garage sale bargains tomorrow and also to help children get their school day off to the proper start.The school is holding a garage sale, with the money raised going towards its Breakfast Club.
“Breakfast is served every morning of the week to anyone who wants to come along and we have a Big Breakfast once a term for the whole school,” principal Emily Hargreaves said.
The club is parent run and supported by Fonterra and Sanitarium, which provide milk and cereals.
Mrs Hargreaves said the garage sale money would be spent on things like Milo and toast spreads. The garage sale starts at 8am tomorrow at the school in Donnell St.
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Thank you to everyone who recently took part in our KickStart Breakfast “Cash for Clubs” competition.
We received a huge amount of applications with each and every one deserving to win the cash. The ideas generated on how the money was going to be spent on your KickStart Breakfast Clubs were incredible and ranged from purchasing fruit tree seedlings and preserving jars to water-coolers and kitchen appliances.
Based on the uniqueness of your idea(s) and the benefits this will bring to your students and breakfast club, our judging team selected four winning schools that are:
Uruti School
James Street School
Taupiri School
Somerset Crescent SchoolCongratulations to our four winners that will each receive $1,000 for their KickStart Breakfast Club. All winners have been notified via email and phone and were delighted to win.
Thank you again for entering the competition and all the best for the remainder of this term.
Your KickStart Breakfast Team
Check out our photo gallery on the about page to see some great pic's of our winners.
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KickStart Breakfast the school breakfast programme, run by Fonterra and Sanitarium, has today celebrated serving its two millionth breakfast for Kiwi children on World Milk Day, 1 June 2011.
To mark the occasion rookie chef and leading New Zealand rugby player, Richard Kahui, and popular children’s TV host, Erin Simpson, joined the kids of Auckland’s Panama Road School for a special celebration breakfast. The school was one of the founding KickStart Breakfast Clubs in the programme which has since expanded to over 430 participating decile 1-4 schools across New Zealand.
Fonterra Director of External Relations, Kelvin Wickham, says KickStart is a breakfast education club that’s about a lot more than just the nutritious food.
“It’s great to see the difference a good breakfast makes to all the things children like to achieve. Fonterra is very proud of our work with Sanitarium to encourage New Zealand’s younger generation to acquire good eating habits at breakfast and enjoy the social and educational benefits of preparing and eating food together,” Mr Wickham said.
Mr Wickham said the celebration had a special significance because it fell on World Milk Day.
“We’re not only celebrating KickStart Breakfast’s two millionth breakfast, it’s also World Milk Day which is all about celebrating the goodness of milk – a near perfect food loaded with nine essential nutrients – and a great way to ‘kick start’ your day.”
Mr Wickham said the twice a week breakfast clubs operate on a sustainable community partnership model.
“With Fonterra and Sanitarium providing the milk and cereal, and local teachers, parents and the community providing the supervision and coaching, the model encourages the kids into healthy eating which benefits learning without undermining the responsibilities of families to provide a daily breakfast.”
General Manager at Sanitarium, Pierre van Heerden, says schools report that children are happier, have more energy and are able to concentrate more.
“The KickStart Breakfast programme is a natural fit with our focus within the community. We know that breakfast is particularly critical for children, helping to improve their behaviour, concentration, memory and learning ability at school. This programme has responded by helping them develop good long term attitudes and health habits for a lifetime,” says Mr van Heerden.
Since establishing the programme in 2008, Fonterra and Sanitarium have also worked closely with the New Zealand Red Cross, who until recently offered their own Breakfast in Schools programme exclusively for decile 1 schools. 61 schools affected by the closure of the Red Cross programme have now been invited to join KickStart Breakfast.
“We are keen to support the Red Cross to manage this change and help the affected schools by welcoming them into the KickStart Breakfast programme as our community partnership model has a lot to offer these schools and students over a sustained period of time,” Mr Wickham said.
Serving over 30,000 nutritious breakfasts to more than 16,000 children in 433 schools every week, Fonterra and Sanitarium provide Anchor Mega Milk and Weet-Bix to participating decile 1-4 schools throughout the country.
Richard Kahui (New Zealand international rugby player), Erin Simpson (Presenter of the Erin Simpson Show) and Kelvin Wickham (Director External Relations, Fonterra) celebrate World Milk Day and KickStart Breakfasts two millionth breakfast with the children from Panama Road Schoolprint