The School Breakfast Clubs program has reached a milestone with 1,000 schools now participating across Victoria, allowing more students to learn with a full stomach and get the most out of school.

Minister for Education James Merlino today announced 1,000 schools will be a part of the School Breakfast Clubs program in 2021, which has so far served more than 15 million nutritious meals to students.

The program, delivered in partnership with Foodbank Victoria, provides free breakfasts for kids at participating Victorian schools since it was established by the Andrews Labor Government in 2016.

The Labor Government has invested $58 million to expand the program by doubling the number of participating schools from 500 to 1000, providing lunches and school holiday supplies to those most in need and will begin delivering cooking classes for parents and children at 100 schools in 2021.

Despite the transition to remote and flexible learning in Term 2 and 3 2020, more that 2.5 million meals were delivered to students ensuring no student went hungry.

In Term 4, a further 1.2 million meals were provided to students, along with over 6,700 school holiday packs to support students and their families over the summer holidays.

The program is a part of the Labor Government’s ongoing work to ensure all students can fully participate in their learning at school and build happy and healthy lives.