Researchers at The University of Queensland have found children in disadvantaged communities often go hungry when they attend early education and childcare centers.
Researchers at The University of Queensland have found children in disadvantaged communities often go hungry when they attend early education and childcare centers.
UQ Laureate Fellow Professor Karen Thorpe from the Queensland Brain Institute led a study of more than 900 childcare centers across Queensland that showed those in disadvantaged communities, where food insecurity was highest, were less likely to provide meals to children than those in more affluent areas.
“We discovered only 65 percent of childcare centers in rural and remote areas provide food,” Professor Thorpe said.
“Often it’s about keeping costs down, with services providing lunch for children charging up to $140 a day compared to as low as $60 a day for those without meals.”
Professor Thorpe said some centers in low-income areas with high market competition did provide food without increasing fees.
