Survey Shows Strong Support for KidsCan Meals Improving Outcomes for ECE Children

The survey, completed by 130 early learning services receiving taxpayer-funded meals, found exceptionally high satisfaction with KidsCan’s performance as a supplier.

The Associate Education Minister has welcomed the Ministry of Education’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Food Programme Survey Report, which shows overwhelming support for KidsCan’s role in delivering taxpayer-funded meals to vulnerable young children across New Zealand.

The survey, completed by 130 early learning services receiving taxpayer-funded meals, found exceptionally high satisfaction with KidsCan’s performance as a supplier. These centres represent 42.5 per cent of all services participating in the programme and provide meals to children with the highest levels of need.

Centres rated KidsCan highly across all service measures, including supplier reliability and consistency at 97.5 per cent, food safety and hygiene at 98.5 per cent, communication at 98 per cent, flexibility and adaptability at 99 per cent, and service and professionalism at 95 per cent. The results reflect strong confidence in KidsCan’s ability to deliver safe, reliable and responsive food services at scale.

Associate Education Minister David Seymour acknowledged KidsCan’s long-standing contribution to supporting children’s wellbeing and learning outcomes. Since its establishment in 2005, KidsCan has focused on removing barriers to education caused by poverty, including hunger and poor nutrition.

In 2019, KidsCan launched a national early childhood nutrition programme, initially providing healthy lunches to more than 6,000 early learners with the greatest needs. By 2025, this number had increased to 16,000 children, supported by an additional $4 million in annual government funding.

Mr Seymour said the programme is grounded in strong evidence linking nutrition to early childhood development. Research led by Sir Peter Gluckman has consistently shown that good nutrition plays a critical role in early brain development, influencing long-term learning, behaviour and health outcomes.

The survey highlights clear benefits of taxpayer-funded lunches across multiple areas of child development, as observed by early learning providers.

In the area of physical development, 77 per cent of services reported improvements in children’s energy levels and stamina. Other reported benefits included better sleep patterns (34 per cent), improved digestion (32 per cent), fewer absences (29 per cent), and healthier body weights (26 per cent).

Cognitive and learning development outcomes were also strongly positive. Sixty-seven per cent of services observed improved participation in learning activities, while 62 per cent reported better concentration. Improvements in memory and problem-solving skills were noted by 34 per cent of services, and 28 per cent reported gains in language development and fine motor skills.

In emotional and behavioural development, 69 per cent of services said children were calmer and more settled. Positive changes in mood regulation and fewer emotional outbursts were reported by 45 per cent, while 34 per cent observed increased resilience and 39 per cent said children were better able to self-regulate.

Social and interpersonal development outcomes were equally encouraging. Fifty-one per cent of services reported improved interactions between children, and 42 per cent noted increased confidence. Meal times also played an important social role, with 72 per cent of services saying shared lunches strengthened children’s sense of belonging. Notably, 89 per cent of services reported that children were more willing to try new foods.

Mr Seymour said recent changes to the Healthy School Lunch programme have generated significant savings, allowing funding to be redirected to early learning settings. The programme is expected to deliver taxpayer savings of $145 million in 2026, with $4 million of those savings allocated annually to provide daily lunches for an additional 10,000 children in ECE services.

He said the approach demonstrates how careful financial management can expand support for vulnerable children while delivering better value for taxpayers.

“When the Government manages its accounts the way families and businesses have to, money goes a lot further,” Mr Seymour said.

The Ministry of Education’s ECE Food Programme Survey provides strong evidence that targeted nutrition support in early childhood settings delivers meaningful benefits for children’s health, learning and wellbeing, while also strengthening early learning communities.