Extension Into ECE Centres Of The School Food Programme Raises Issues

Today, the government announced it has contracted KidsCan to provide free lunches for 10,000 two-to-five-year-olds who attend low-equity ECE centres, the cost of which will be funded from a reduction in spending on the schools’ programme.

The Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE) said that the initiative is welcome and should be helpful for services and families in low-equity communities.

While no child who attends an ECE service should go hungry currently because ECE services have a duty of care, the additional food provided will help with costs for those service able to access the programme.

Dr Sarah Alexander, chief advisor to the OECE, said there are concerns that some services in the most economically disadvantaged areas may have difficulty participating in the programme, for example if they don’t have enough refrigeration space.

There is also an issue of food safety and the responsibilities of the different players for food safety: NZ Food Safety, Ministry of Education, ERO, Kidscan, Worksafe NZ (as health & safety regulator) and the ECE services themselves. The lines appear very blurred, and food safety is not well monitored in ECEs as a result.

Dr Alexander recommends that the Ministry of Education provides guidelines for the preparation and handling of food provided by Kidscan and the ECEs involved, particularly in regard to minimising the risk to children with food allergies; and of choking.

By law when an ECE service provides food, it must ensure the food is not of high choking risk for the age of the child. But the regulations are not clear on the responsibility of the ECE where food is provided by an external provider who is not the parent. (ref My ECE: www.myece.org.nz/food-and-drink-regulations)

“It’s therefore really important that ECEs and the parents and families involved with them, understand the risks, and every adult who takes on duties of managing the food given to the ECE and feeding and supervising children eating, receives training and support around food safety”, said Dr Alexander.

It is noted that food allergies are common in early childhood, with up to one in ten children having a food allergy by 12 months of age. NZ studies also indicate higher rates in Pacific and Asian communities. (ref Allergy NZ: www.allergy.org.nz)

On the issue of funding there are two questions that Minister Seymour needs to provide a response to the public and to the ECE sector on.

First, why did he make a sudden policy u-turn to allow for-profit commercial ECE providers to access free food, and what number of community-based ECE providers will now miss out? The original Budget announcement by Minister Seymour was that the programme would apply to community-based ECE centres only, and as recently as this Tues 22nd October, Minister Seymour affirmed this position.

Second, while it’s been promised that the equity funding amount services in low socio-economic communities currently receive will not change, can the Minister give an assurance that those services that sign up to the free food programme will not in future have their equity funding cut, and that equity funding rates will continue to increase? (All Equity Index 1 ECE services are currently paid an additional $1.15 per hour per child for equity purposes to go toward equity support such as providing children with food and the amount is due to increase on 1 Jan 2025.)

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