GLEN Orden Primary School students are starting the day off right with a new breakfast club program, sponsored by the Australian Red Cross.
The program was launched last Monday morning before school, with a special family breakfast served by Red Cross volunteers.
State Red Cross manager Elias Lebbos said children who missed breakfast were less able to concentrate, more prone to fidgeting, and found learning difficult by mid-morning. They were also more likely to suffer obesity later in life.
Research shows that up to 40 per cent of Australian school children regularly skipped breakfast.
Mr Lebbos said the Good Start Breakfast Club not only provided breakfast to children who might otherwise go without, but offered volunteering opportunities for residents.
The organisation provided around 90,000 breakfasts to children in 20 clubs around Victoria last year.
Residents interested in volunteering at Glen Orden or setting up a club at other local schools can contact the Australian Red Cross on 8327 7764.
