Ministers join Kids Eat Smart Foundation to raise awareness about child wellness

Education, health and wellness for children are priorities for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and in an unique move, ministers Joan Burke, Tom Osborne and Paul Shelley of the departments of Education, Health and Community Services, and Human Resources, Labour and Employment have come together in partnership with Kids Eat Smart Foundation to promote and support the organization�s effort to improve the wellness of children throughout our province.

Kids Eat Smart Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador is a registered charity that supports breakfast and snack programs for school children. Programs - which are known as the Breakfast Program, Breakfast Club, or the Kids Eat Smart Club � advocate Nutrition First and are run by volunteers in the cafeterias, gyms, and home economic rooms of schools throughout the province. All children are welcome to attend, and there is no charge for children to participate.

Children are better able to learn if they�ve had a nutritious start to the day. A healthy breakfast helps build healthier children and good dietary habits that last a lifetime. It is also essential that government departments, such as Human Resources, Labour and Employment which is the primary funding source for Kids Eat Smart Foundation, support programs that provide children with access to nutritious food. Healthy child development and wellness are key objectives contained in the province's recently released poverty reduction action plan.

Kid Eat Smart Executive Director Daphne LeDrew says, "The collaborative support of the ministers of Education, Health and Community Services, and Human Resources Labour and Employment is tremendous for Kids Eat Smart Foundation. We�ve been involved with all three departments over the past number of years, and now, with one unified voice, Kids Eat Smart is a giant step closer to its goal of ensuring all children in the province attend school well-nourished and ready to learn."

"The beginning of the school year is an excellent time to raise awareness about the connection between good nutrition and how successful our children are academically," said Minister Burke. "I am extremely pleased to partner with my colleagues in government and the Kids Eat Smart Foundation as we continue to work to improve the lives of all children in our province."

"Kids Eat Smart supports breakfast programs that are run by volunteers in schools all over the province," said Minister Osborne. "The program provides children at no cost the means to access a nutritious breakfast, and that�s better for everyone."

"A nutritious breakfast helps children do well in school, and a good education opens the door to employment opportunities," said Minister Shelley. "That�s why my department supports Kids Eat Smart Foundation."

This fall the three ministers together will support Kids Eat Smart child wellness campaign through participation in a series of public service announcements, Metrobus advertisements, and through their leadership at initiatives that enable the corporate sector, business community, community groups and individuals to directly support the children of our province.

For the 2006-07 school year the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador will provide $550,000 in support of Kids Eat Smart Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador.

Media contact:

Kim Todd, Kids Eat Smart Foundation, (709) 722-1996

Jacquelyn Howard, Education, (709) 729-0048, 689-2624
jacquelynhoward@gov.nl.ca 

Tansy Mundon, Health and Community Services, (709) 729-1377, 685-1741 tansymundon@gov.nl.ca 

Ed Moriarity, Human Resources, Labour and Employment, (709) 729-4062, 728-9623 edmoriarity@gov.nl.ca 

2006 10 02                                                 10:30 a.m.