A Full Stomach Every Morning

Feeding underprivileged children in Quebec to support educational success

Ensuring that Quebec’s children start their day with a full stomach is the foundation on which a set of measures can be built to support students’ educational success.

This is what makes everything else possible!

That’s why, at Breakfast Club of Canada, we believe that every child attending a school in an underprivileged area (with a socioeconomic status rank of 8, 9, or 10) should have access to a nutritious meal to start their day.

We need your help to reach them all!

In Quebec

  • The Club reaches 87,000 children daily
    • Across 591 schools
  • There are still over 176,000 children left to reach
    • In 650 schools
  • 101 schools are on the Club’s waiting list

So, we still have just over half the journey left to ensure that all children in underprivileged areas have breakfast before starting their day.

We must continue our efforts to offer them equal opportunities.

Essential Support from the Quebec Government: A Step Toward Equity

The $5 million investment from the Quebec government announced last year has significantly contributed to our mission. Thanks to this support, Breakfast Club of Canada has been able to:

  • Maintain all existing breakfast programs while addressing the increased demand within them
  • Open 16 new breakfast programs out of the 20 planned
  • Reach nearly 10,000 additional children
  • Increase equity of opportunity for children in underprivileged areas
1

Start of the Project

2024

  • Confirmation of additional funding to open 500 new programs in the 2025 budget
  • Prioritization of program openings
2

Opening Programs

2025 to 2030

Progressive implementation of programs at a rate of 100 per year

3

Objective Achieved

2030

By the end, 1,050 programs in operation, reaching 155,000 children every day

Placing Children’s Well-Being at the Heart of Upcoming Decisions

The announcement by the federal government of the National School Food Program and the availability of funds for Quebec presents an opportunity to feed children who go to school hungry.

Breakfast Club of Canada is aware of the challenges related to respecting Quebec’s jurisdiction, but urges all parliamentarians to put the well-being of children at the center of their decisions, remembering that a full stomach is the key element that makes educational success possible.

Our Requests for Children

  1. Provide breakfast to all children attending a school in an underprivileged area (index 8, 9, 10).
  2. Achieve universality by reaching the 9 remaining schools located in First Nations communities and Inuit northern villages.
  3. Continue the rollout of breakfast programs in educational childcare services to reach 200 daycare centers (CPEs).

 

Schools on the Waiting List

Despite our efforts to support as many schools as possible, 101 schools in Quebec are still waiting to join a breakfast program. Spread across all regions of Quebec, these schools need our support to provide students with a daily breakfast.

  • Amqui
  • Ayer’S Cliff
  • Barachois
  • Chandler
  • Chapeau
  • Chateauguay
  • Cookshire-Eaton
  • Deux-Montagnes
  • Dolbeau-Mistassini
  • East Angus
  • Gascons
  • Gaspe
  • Gatineau
  • Granby
  • Grande-Rivière
  • Henryville
  • Huntingdon
  • Joliette
  • Kahnawàke
  • Kegaska
  • Kuujjuaq
  • La Malbaie
  • Lachine
  • Laval
  • L’Épiphanie
  • Listuguj
  • Longueuil
  • Maniwaki
  • Maria
  • Matane
  • Matapédia
  • Mont-Joli
  • Mont-Laurier
  • Montmagny
  • Montreal
  • Notre-Dame-des-Bois
  • Nouvelle Pakuashipi
  • Pikogan
  • Pointe-Calumet
  • Pointe-Claire
  • Port-Cartier
  • Port-Daniel
  • Puvinituq
  • Repentigny
  • Saint-Casimir
  • Sainte-Anne-des-Monts
  • Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines
  • Sainte-Félicité
  • Sainte-Thérèse-de-Gaspé
  • Saint-Francois-d’Assise
  • Saint-Gabriel-Lalemant
  • Saint-Hubert
  • Saint-Hyacinthe
  • Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce
  • Saint-Laurent
  • Saint-Nazaire-de-Berry
  • Saint-Pacôme
  • Saint-Paul
  • Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan
  • Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu
  • Saint-Siméon
  • Salaberry-De-Valleyfield
  • Scotstown
  • Sept-Îles
  • Sherbrooke
  • Sorel-Tracy
  • Ste-Adèle
  • St-Jérôme
  • Témiscaming
  • Thetford Mines
  • Trois-Rivières

Feeding Children: A Simple Initiative with Benefits That Make a Difference!

Research reveals the numerous benefits of access to a breakfast program within schools:

Economic Benefits:

  • Promotion and purchase of local products
  • Monthly savings of $129 to $189 per child for families
  • Creation of over 200,000 jobs
  • Return on investment of 2.5 to 7 times the initial investment in terms of health and economic benefits
  • Increase in future earnings of students by 3 to 6% over a lifetime

Educational, Social, and Health Benefits:

  • Increased learning capabilities and attendance
  • Improved psychosocial functioning
  • Higher consumption of nutritious foods and increased nutritional intake
  • Reduction in stress associated with rushed morning routines
  • Positive impact on public health and healthcare costs
  • Positive school climate

Breakfast Club of Canada: An Organization with a Proven Track Record for 30 Years

Breakfast Club of Canada has the structure, expertise, financial support from the private sector and the general public, and a strong network of partners that would enable it to provide equal opportunities for children to succeed right now. All that is missing is the support of the government to achieve this.

Feeding Children is Essential.

Join your voice with that of Breakfast Club of Canada to ensure that the necessary funding is included in the upcoming budget.

We are counting on you to advocate for this important request with your elected colleagues.