KickStart for Kids

KickStart For Kids is a not for profit organisation that helps school children achieve positive educational and self-esteem outcomes through breakfast, lunch and mentoring programs. Not all kids have the same start in life. KickStart for kids was founded in 2011 on the belief that every child, regardless of their social or economic background, should have an equal chance. We do this by running breakfast, lunch and mentoring programs in South Australian schools. We also provide basic clothing and healthcare needs. EDUCATION equals POWER and OPPORTUNITY If children are hungry or encounter hardship, they are not able to fully engage at school, therefore, not achieving educational outcomes. We know from research that children who grow up in hardship are more likely to be uneducated, and live in hardship as adults. KickStart for Kids endeavours to level the playing field. KickStart for Kids was founded by Ian Steel, after mentoring young children in schools and noticing their poor behavior and ability to learn. After researching the issue he discovered that many of the problems were caused by hunger. 1000’s of children were being sent to school each day without consuming any food, or having any food during the day. Schools reported that this was having a major impact on their learning ability, self-esteem and health. Ian started a breakfast program in 2009 and noticed immediate results. Kids became happy, friendly, were able to concentrate and had a much greater ability to learn. Today KickStart for Kids supports over 300 South Australian Schools, providing around 40,000 breakfasts and 10,000 lunches per week with 600 volunteers. www.kickstartforkids.com.au/