Provide breakfast for all kids who want it

We can all agree that schoolchildren can benefit from a nutritious breakfast every morning. We’re equally as sure not all children are getting that healthy start to the day.

It can be difficult to afford fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, eggs and dairy every morning of the year.

It’s also possible that shift work, disruptive schedules or early morning practices make it hard to get everyone in the family up in time to prepare and eat a square meal.

These factors can also be compounded by children who are picky eaters, just aren’t that hungry first thing, or who are impossible to get moving with any speed in the morning.

Add in an unexpected tantrum, missing gym clothes or a project they forgot was due today, and breakfast can easily become a Pop Tart on the way out the door.

So it’s good to know there are many breakfast programs at schools across the province that can fill in those gaps.

The provincial government estimates there were more than 600 school staff and community volunteers who provided 24,000 breakfasts or snacks to 8,000 students, free of charge, last year. These programs are funded by government, local donations, fundraising, and support from provincial and national organizations.

No one would disagree that the volunteer effort and funding should go to cover meals for children who need them the most. But it is difficult to agree on that definition of “need” and harder still to ask children to prove that need exists.

In some jurisdictions around the world, families are assessed on their financial wherewithal and then issued vouchers or are otherwise tallied by some level of bureaucracy to access school meals. This is wrong on so many levels. This practice stigmatizes children whose families are struggling to make ends meet and singles them out to their classmates as being “poor.”

It also deprives children who might be hungry for any of the many legitimate reasons not tied to finances.

Luckily, in P.E.I. free meal programs are based on want, not need. But a notice on the Glen Stewart Primary website before school began seemed to contradict that.

“The breakfast program is supported by a limited budget and is intended to support students who have breakfast needs from home . . . we ask only those students who are in need of breakfast to participate in the program.”

Glen Stewart has since issued a clarification, noting volunteers would never turn children away but with almost half the school lining up for breakfast, they need to find ways to get everyone through the lobby and off to class on time.

The school is asking parents to tell their children “they are strongly encouraged to go to the breakfast program on days when they haven’t eaten, and not on days when they have already had breakfast.”

The school is also looking at grab-and-go options. This would be the better way to go.

Let’s not give kids yet another reason to skip breakfast.

This practice stigmatizes children whose families are struggling to make ends meet and singles them out to their classmates as being “poor.”