Implemented in 2018 in about 15 educational daycare centres in disadvantaged areas, the Quebec Breakfast Club pilot project will be extended to some 20 additional establishments in 14 regions of the province.
The investment of nearly $3 million between now and June 2025 by the Ministry of Families will make it possible to feed some 1,700 less fortunate children every morning.
"The report from the first four years of the pilot project showed very encouraging results that justify expanding the initiative," said Breakfast Club president and CEO Tommy Kulczyk.
The children involved in the project have shown increased energy and concentration as a result of the full breakfast they are offered. They are also more willing to try new healthy foods.
The 15 institutions that initiated the pilot project - 12 early childhood centres (CPEs) and three subsidized daycares - are being extended to 2025, with an additional 16 CPEs and three subsidized daycares.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Family Minister Suzanne Roy, who made the announcement at a daycare centre in Montreal's Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood, suggested that more daycares could benefit from the program in the future.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 24, 2023.
