In Canada, 20 percent of children—more than 1.4 million—live in poverty, according to Campaign 2000, a network of organizations working to end family poverty.
If kids are going to school hungry, their behaviours can be exacerbated; they may be irritable and unable to resolve conflicts on the playground, or they may be incapable of focusing and slow to learn. A 2015 review article found that hunger has immediate and long-term effects on children’s mental health, behaviour and physical development, including higher levels of hyperactivity, delays in motor development and increased risk of obesity.
Student Nutrition Programs perform an essential function to student success by giving children access to nutritious meals each school day. Proper nutrition, served regularly right in schools, can help address and prevent childhood health problems.
Read the full article by Raina Delisle in Today’s Parent.
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