Hon David Seymour
Associate Minister of Education

Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that KidsCan Charitable Trust will be delivering the new Early Childhood Education (ECE) Food Programme, starting in February 2025.

“I would like to acknowledge KidsCan for their amazing work supporting children’s learning since 2005. In 2019 they launched a national early childhood programme which provides healthy lunches to over 6,000 early learners with the highest needs. From 2025 this number will increase to 16,000, with $4 million in additional funding from this government,” says Mr Seymour.

“KidsCan are experienced at effectively helping Kiwi children affected by poverty. They are the only large scale, national, not-for-profit, and non-governmental provider of food to ECE services. They already have the systems and relationships in place to supply food to ECE centres who need it, in a way that is cost effective. 

“Sir Peter Gluckman’s research clearly demonstrates that good nutrition is one of the key factors affecting early brain development. The more we can do to support good nutrition from a young age, the more likely children are to reach their potential.

“This was possible because of this government's financial prudence. The additional funding is realised capital from cost savings in the new healthy school lunch programme, which I announced earlier this week.

“The first 1,000 days are key to a child’s development. I am proud this government can innovate to provide help for even more children who need it.”

ECE service eligibility for the programme will be based on a number of factors, including information from the new Early Childhood Education Equity Index. The equity index, which is the most accurate it has been in nearly 20 years, measures the extent to which an ECE service draws its children from low socio-economic communities. 

KidsCan will contact eligible services over the next couple of months so that the programme can begin early next year. All 2–5-year-olds attending eligible ECE services that opt in will be able to access KidsCan food.

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