Best start to day for kids

THE local community has banded together to ensure kids start their day in the best possible way.
Every Wednesday morning, before the school bell rings, about 130 students from Cooroy State School gather at the canteen and tuck into breakfast.
The breakfast club program is run by school chaplain Ett Ison and her team of volunteers from the Cooroy Uniting Church. Ett says the aim is to give the children, who might have missed out at home, the best start to the day.
“Kids come each week and get the chance to eat with their peers, but they also interact with the volunteers and with me,” Ett said.
“Our school runs this service as a team. Research says that one in four children miss breakfast, and that’s for any number of reasons – anything from time to lack of resources on the day. Having a healthy start to the day will help improve their concentration throughout the day.”
Although the school hasn’t tracked concentration levels of the children who participate, teachers have noticed a difference.
“It’s more just observations by the teachers, that the kids are on track and more focused with their work,” Ett added.
“Our volunteers want to do something back for the community through their church, and this is one way of doing it. Things get busy with so many kids coming at once, but the kids’ kind manners go a long way. We’ve got the kids down to a fine art with their pleases and thank yous.”