High marks for Project Star’s school feeding programme

Administrators of four early childhood institutions in inner-city communities in east downtown Kingston say the provision of a school feeding programme has resulted in significant improvement in the attendance and academic performance of their students in less than six months of implementation.

The programme, which was facilitated by Project STAR, saw Parade Gardens Pre-Preparatory School, Highholborn Street Basic School, Real Success Basic School and the Calabar Infant School all benefiting from the effort.

Angela Porter, vice principal of Calabar Infant School, said: “There was also improvement in learning for the students. If a child is hungry, he or she will not be alert but with a full stomach, he or she is full of energy,” she explained.

“When you looked at the end of school reports for these students, there was a big improvement in their academic performance,” she said.

Merna Jackson, principal at Real Success Basic School, also reported an improvement.

“I think it is a very good programme. Both children and parents benefited from it,” she informed, noting that generally, because of the programme the cost of lunches for other students was not increased.

Mariephil Riguard, principal of Highholborn Street Basic School, said that the school has been able to provide subsidised lunches to all students while also not increasing the cost of lunches during the period. Additionally, the school has been able to save money that have been used to purchase needed items. These savings have been attributed to the assistance provided by the programme.

Supporting partners of the programme, Musson Foundation and Rainforest Caribbean, expressed satisfaction that the programme has been able to realise its success in a short time.

“We are pleased to see the improvement in students’ attendance, as much as 35 per cent in one instance, in our early childhood schools since beginning the school feeding programme. This promising result demonstrates how access to nutritious meals can create a ripple effect of positive change in a child’s life,” said Lisa D’Oyen, executive director, Musson Foundation.

“As we look ahead, we continue to be committed to building a foundation for our children’s lifelong learning and will continue to work with Project STAR and other like-minded partners to touch the lives of more children and to shape a brighter future for the community of east downtown Kingston,” she added.

Bethany Young, communication and marketing manager at Rainforest Caribbean, said her organisation is proud to have partnered with Project STAR on the school feeding programme, remarking that it’s very important work to ensure the children are fuelled and fed.

“We are very pleased with our participation in the pilot project and the feedback that we have received confirming that providing nourishing food does positively impact education outcomes,” she said.

“Rainforest Caribbean will continue to support the programme come September. It has been a pleasure to collaborate with the Project STAR team, the educators, the parents, and of course, the children. The initiative is well-organised, well-researched, and backed by a great group of change-making, forward-thinking organisations,” she added.

Saffrey Brown, project director of Project STAR, said that success of the programme is a testament to what collective action can do to improve the lives of children on the programme.

Close to 200 students benefited from the programme with 11,520 meals served over the period. This initiative emerged out of discussions with school administrators, who indicated that a number of students were not attending school regularly due to their parents’ inability to provide money for lunch. Such programmes are part of STAR’s methodology to improve educational outcomes through the use of school-based support initiatives.