Tasmania’s school breakfast program has hit 300,000 free meals served to students across the state in the first term alone.
The program, run in partnership with Variety Tasmania, now operates in 76 government schools and reaches up to 18,000 students.
It’s backed by a $6.5 million state government investment aimed at rolling the program out to every public school in Tasmania by 2028.
Education Minister Jo Palmer said the milestone showed the program was making a real difference for families and kids.
“Breakfast is so important for busy school days, where students need energy for a big day of learning, focusing and playing,” Palmer said.
“We know families are dealing with cost of living pressures and sometimes students come to school hungry for all sorts of reasons.”
Palmer said some children travel long distances to get to school and appreciate a top-up after an early start.
She also pointed to the social benefits, with kids and staff coming together to share a meal before the school day begins.
“If they know, especially through the mid-winter months, that there might be a hot cup of milk or a hot cup of Milo, that’s a great reason to get them to school,” she said.
Mohammad Aldergham, chief executive of Variety Tasmania, said a student who misses breakfast can lose around two hours of learning each day.
“If you multiply the two hours by the 200 school days, that’s a whole term of missing out on learning,” Aldergham said.
He said the program doesn’t just help with nutrition but also reduces pressure on teachers and encourages students to be more socially engaged.
Sharon Symes, principal at Mowbray Heights Primary School in Launceston, said the school serves around 175 breakfasts a week.
She said the program goes beyond filling bellies.
“It’s not just the nutrition part of it all and allowing them to be concentrating in class, it’s also the social connection,” Symes said.
She added that staff use the morning meal as a chance to check in with students and identify anyone who might need extra support.
The school had been funding its own breakfast club before receiving support through the government partnership with Variety Tasmania.
Symes said having that backing frees up funds for other priorities.
Grade six student Matthew Tasara, who’s been coming to breakfast club for two years, said he enjoys the toast and Weet-Bix on offer.
“It gets us going in the morning, makes our brain switched on,” he said.
