Laying the foundations to improve learning outcomes for children

As families across Australia continue to face growing cost of living pressures, it’s thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers and our partner organisations that programs like BSL’s Breakfast Club continue to serve the community.

It’s a critical service that local families rely on, offering lasting connection and support within the community, and bringing families together in a shared safe place. 

  Our Breakfast Club program began in 2002 at a public housing estate in Melbourne. The initiative started as a partnership between BSL and public housing residents with many who attended coming from refugee and migrant backgrounds. At that time, the service ran from the kitchen at the local community centre, providing meals for all primary school age children and their families five days a week. 

In 2021 Breakfast Club was moved to a small nearby primary school where the program became integral to school students and families. It operated during COVID-19 lockdowns, delivering the program from the school hall and provided nourishing meals for the small number of students still attending school on site at that time.

Our place-based approach is also designed to meet the needs of specific local communities and reduces barriers that families face due to limited access to culturally appropriate foods. Our Breakfast Club menu for example, includes vegetarian and halal meals to cater for everyone.

At Breakfast Club, ‘breakfast’ is more than just a meal - it lays the foundations for better concentration and participation at school, improving learning outcomes for children. It also gives children the opportunity to learn about a good diet and develop sound routines that improve school attendance and involvement. Grassroots initiatives like Breakfast Club have also been useful in providing valuable input into the Ministerial Reference Group for the National Schools Reform Agreement which our Executive Director, Trav McLeod has been involved in. 

Programs like Breakfast Club could not operate without the generous support of our dedicated volunteers and donors. This September, we seek your continued financial support so we can ensure children and families can access these critical programs and services.

For more information: https://www.bsl.org.au/services/getting-an-education/breakfast-club/