LACK OF NUTRITIOUS BREAKFAST IN CHILDREN

Group members

Samina , Fakiha , Salma, April, Roma and Faduma.

Child Poverty

Child poverty is a significant issue in Toronto and this has been affecting parents and children’s at large. In recent years, the government’s attempt eradicate child poverty has failed and to do this day it is estimated that “60% of the GTA’s low income children live in Toronto” (City of Toronto, 2011).

Rising Child Poverty In Ontario

Rise a Child in Poverty

http://ellidavis.com/images/2010/12/Photo-by-Chris.jpg

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/kids-breakfast-recipes-00412000072277/

http://www.thelunchbox.org/advocacy

http://www.yonkersnymma.com/breakfast-important-meal-

day-yonkers-ny/

“WHAT MOST PARENTS DON’T REALIZE IS THAT MOST KIDS CAN’T FOCUS IN SCHOOL BECAUSE THERE BODY HAS NO FUEL IN IT TO KEEP THEM AWAKE.”

NO!

Causes:•Lack of parent education•Unemployment• Lack of accessibility to stores• Rise in food prices•Limited amount of distribution from social assistance towards food•Neglectful parents•Barriers /policies (factual information Child Poverty

http://pradyumna-ray.blogspot.ca/2013/03/hungry-cook.html

Stakeholders• The government (federal, provincial, municipal)-are

working towards eradicating child poverty • Parents-are interested to feed their children• Community centres-run programs to help the

communities at large• Grocery stores-promote deals to attract consumers to

buy food at an affordable rate• Daycares-include breakfast programs in the morning

for children of all ages

Cont’d

• Second harvest/Food Bank-food rescue program helping those in need

• Schools (TDSB, college and universities)-advocates for breakfast programs in all schools

• Canadian Feed the Children- committed to fight against poverty• UNICEF- advocates for all children and it is a children based

organization• Make Poverty History -committed to ending poverty in Canada

Key Questions Why parents have passive attitudes to provide a nutritious breakfast for their children?-MomtazHow can parents such as low income families have access to cheaper and affordable grocery stores?-AprilWhy hasn’t the minimum wage increased in the past four years?-FakihaHow does unemployment affect families from a providing a nutritious breakfast?-RomaWhat polices are currently in place to provide children with breakfast programs?- SalmaIs the National Child Benefit Supplement enough money to pay for nutrition food?-FadumaAction plan Faduma

Why parents have passive attitude to provide healthy breakfast for their children?

Reasons

Insufficient income and so both parents get engaged in work

Low paying job Engaged in more than

one job Irregular schedule and

irregular shifts Stressful work

Reason for not providing healthy food for their children cont’d. Time pressure, so trade or treat

food choice Lack of knowledge about the

importance of healthy food Lack of knowledge about Childs

brain development and how nutritious breakfast impact on school performance

Workplace environment greatly impact on parent physical and mental ability

Have no job security and no job satisfaction

How can People in Low-Income Communities have Access to Healthy and Affordable Grocery Stores?

What is the issue ? Many children in Toronto go to school hungry.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/ap/ap036

Causes: Many low-income families are constrained in their ability to access affordable

nutritious food because they live far from large grocery stores and do not have easy access to transportation

Many grocery stores are located either in commercial developments in the inner city or alongside large developments in the outer suburb, leaving many

residents outside the catchment area of the stores .

• People who live in food deserts have to rely on small grocery stores or convenience stores.

Where are the food deserts?

How do these people do grocery shopping?

•The prominence of these food deserts are increased, as lower income communities are more dependent on public transit or walking to access these grocery stores.

Grocery Shopping and Deserts

http://www.competeprosper.ca/

Possible Solutions

• Government can provide incentives for food retailers to establish operations in food deserts.

•A grocery transportation system can be established to help residents in food deserts to get easy access to large grocery stores.

• Establish organizations such as Angel Food Ministries and Gaballi Food Boxes whose mission is to provide fresh and lower-price food for people

Why is it time to raise the minimum wage?

The cost of living up and the value of minimum wage is going down.

Families end up at food banks at the end of the month.

Families need to feed their children nutritional food.

Families concern about their children’s health and education

A group calls for the minimum wage to be raised to $14 an hour, Feb. 15, 2014

Ontario’s workers are more reliant on minimum wage jobs than any other part of the country

According to Public Health Nutrition

Breakfast is often described as the most important meal of the day

It is not only provides important daily nutrients such as protein, fiber, calcium and carbohydrates

It also helps to improve school performance, allowing students to do better on tests.

Luck of nutritious break fast lead a child difficulty concentrating in class and luck of energy.

 

HOW DOES UNEMPLOYMENT AFFECT FAMILIES FROM PROVIDING A NUTRITIOUS BREAKFAST?

• Unemployment people can not afford to buy foods that have all the nutritional needs for a healthy diet • It affects the spouse, children and others in the family network• Psychological squealer (worrying, depression)• Behavioural consequences (impaired school performance, strained relations with friends, isolation)• Possible parental abuse and neglect

Source: https://www.google.ca/search?q=immigrants+suffering+mental+health+problems http://newsone.com/1216565/black-unemployment-crisis-affects-childrens-mental-health

Advocacy Action Plan

Inform the unemployed families about community and city resources Outreach the awareness and available of support and services of local

agencies Conduct workshop, visit with unemployed families at school, college,

daycare centre, and door to door of communities and distribute flyers. Provide financial support through fundraising

http://www.schcontario.ca/programs-and-opportunities/community-support/food-bank

What polices are currently in place to provide children with breakfast programs in Toronto

• Toronto Public Health, and community agencies provide grassroots organizing for more than 700 universal programs helping feed 148,000 students daily

• According to my findings there is “Student Nutrition Programs” in the City of Toronto. It is a program that offers a healthy breakfast most of the childrens

http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/06/21/school-food/

Breakfast Club of Canada & Breakfast Makes Me Shine

Those Clubs are enhancing school breakfast programming and improving the knowledge, abilities and confidence of those involved.

Another objective of the Clubs is to equip the

schools and communities to serve on a daily basis a nutritious breakfast

http://www.breakfastclubcanada.org/at-school/

Food Share TorontoSince o 1985 it organized grass roots “Student Nutrition

Programs”, supporting the vision of universal cost shared programs. As a member of the Toronto Partners for Student Nutrition (Toronto Public Health, The Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, the Angel Foundation for Learning and community partners) they help facilitate 720 local programs which serve 141,000 meals a day.

http://www.foodshare.net/student-nutrition

Action plan in action