O'Gorman announces pilot scheme providing hot meals for children in childcare settings

The Minister for Children has announced a pilot scheme providing hot meals for children in childcare settings. 

Minister Roderic O'Gorman, today (November 22) announced €150,000 in funding for the scheme, which will be funded under Dormant Accounts Funding. 

The pilot scheme will test a range of meal options for children in early learning and childcare settings operating in areas of concentrated disadvantage. 

The three meal options in the pilot scheme will be breakfast or snack, breakfast or snack plus a packed lunch for children to take home, or a hot meal or snack. 

Speaking today, Minister O'Gorman said, "Early learning and childcare services work very hard every day to support children experiencing disadvantage and are uniquely placed to ensure these children can access nutritious meals and snacks – which is so important for children’s health, learning and development. 

"Already, as required by regulation, children attending these services on a full-time basis are provided with two meals (one hot) and two snacks throughout the day. This covers a significant proportion of their daily food intake – as much as 70%." 

"For children attending these services for shorter periods however, the provision of food is far more limited. Under this scheme, a range of meal options, including a hot meal, will be piloted among this cohort. 

"The results of the pilot scheme is being undertaken under First 5 and as part of wider work underway in my department to develop a DEIS-type model for early learning and childcare." 

As well as funding, pilot settings will have the assistance of a dietician to support the selection of the meal options. 

The pilot scheme will be subject to an evaluation that will include consultation with children and their families, educators and service managers. 

The scheme is one of a range of measures committed to under First 5, a whole-of-government strategy for babies, young children and their families, to help tackle early childhood poverty and to support children’s health, learning and development. 

The results of the scheme will inform decisions about wider roll-out as well as work ongoing in the department to develop a DEIS-type model for early learning and childcare, which aims to provide services to children and families accessing their services who are experiencing disadvantage.

CEO of Pobal, Anna Shakespeare, said, "Pobal is delighted to partner the department on this important initiative given the impact this intervention will have on children experiencing disadvantage."