The Allan Labor Government is making sure no student starts the day hungry - with free, healthy and nutritious breakfasts coming to every government school to help families with the cost-of-living.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Education Ben Carroll today visited Ascot Vale West Primary School to announce an investment of $21.1 million in the Victorian Budget 2024/25 will expand the School Breakfast Clubs Program to every government school - for the first time.
This expansion will see 150 additional extra schools invited to join the program at the beginning of next year - expected to support up to 200,000 students - before rolling out to remaining schools from June 2025.
One thousand schools already participate in the program, which provides healthy breakfasts for students, as well as lunches, snacks and take-home food packs for students experiencing disadvantage or financial strain.
Since 2016, the Labor Government's School Breakfast Clubs Program has delivered more than 40 million healthy and nutritious meals, as well as practical cooking classes for families at 100 schools - building food literacy, increasing daily consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, and supporting cheap and healthy meal planning.
Going to school hungry has a big impact on children's learning - affecting their behaviour, their ability to concentrate and their ability to retain information - so we're making sure more students are fuelled with healthy, nutritious meals.
Food provided through School Breakfast Clubs meets Healthy Eating Guidelines, prioritises fresh foods and caters for different preferences, with menu options like cereals, fresh fruit, soups and rice dishes.
The expansion of the School Breakfast Clubs Program comes on top of the Labor Government's investment of $287 million in the Victorian Budget 2024/25 provides to help ease cost-of-living pressures for school families.
The $400 School Saving Bonus will support all government school students, and eligible concession card holders at non-government schools, with the costs of school uniforms and camps, sports, and excursions.
We'll also expand the Glasses for Kids program into more than 400 extra schools, providing free vision screening to children in Prep to Year 3, and free glasses for students who need them.
As stated by Premier Jacinta Allan
"Kids can't learn on an empty stomach - that's why we're helping families by expanding School Breakfast Clubs to every government school, giving students a free, healthy breakfast before school every day."
As stated by Minister for Education Ben Carroll
"Whether it's breakfast, lunch or a healthy snack, School Breakfast Clubs make a huge difference to students whose families need a little extra support to give their children nutritious meals that power their school day."
As stated by Member for Essendon Danny Pearson
"This program has made a big difference to thousands of students who need a bit of extra support to have a nutritious, delicious meal every morning - and we're proud to roll the program out to every government school from next year."
