The scheme was launched at Vale Primary’s breakfast club yesterday, supported by the States education and nutrition and dietetics teams, and sponsored by local primary care provider IslandHealth.
‘There’s a lot of evidence that having reasonable amounts of dairy is a very important part of a balanced diet,’ said nutrition and dietetics clinical lead dietitian Myfanwy Datta.
‘It’s important for children to have good habits when they’re young, as it can have an effect for the rest of their lives.’
Before its launch at Vale Primary, the initiative was also trialled at Amherst Primary school’s breakfast club, Stepping Stones Pre-School, and La Petite Ecole. The States reported positive feedback from the children, parents, and staff at all the pilot scheme schools. It has even expanded the breakfast menu, with at least one school now offering porridge.
‘There are 27 settings that could be part of the programme, and the hope is to include every one,’ said States early years education officer Kate Hynes.
‘The group setting can be very helpful for young children and the children who might not want to drink milk, because doing it with their peers can make it become a fun activity.’
According to the NHS, drinking milk is supposed to support children’s health by promoting bone health and proper growth from its calcium and protein content.
Mrs Hynes also emphasised its role in supporting healthy brain development – something particularly important in the early years of childhood, as the brain is 90% developed by the age of five.
‘Good nutrition in childhood has lifelong benefits, and we’re proud to be playing a role in helping local children build healthy habits for the future,’ said Dr Mike Long, practice chairman at IslandHealth.
‘When it comes to heath, prevention is always better than a cure, so it’s important to embed healthy habits at an early age.’
In addition to IslandHealth’s sponsorship of the programme at Vale Primary, Praxis will be supporting the scheme at Vauvert’s breakfast club, and the Skipton Community Fund will support it for children at Le Rondin School.
All the island’s States primary schools now run breakfast clubs before school, and the Dairy is looking to find sponsorship for all the settings that are as yet unfunded.
It hopes to eventually introduce the Milk for Schools initiative into every States school and early years settings in the island.
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