First Steps aims to ensure that children whose families are managing on low incomes have a hot nutritious meal every day, this puts them in the best position to benefit from the opportunities to learn and develop in their nursery.

We provide free, nutritionally balanced midday meals for young children in our nurseries who are most at risk of being disadvantaged by poverty, family circumstances and/or special needs. These children’s families would qualify for free school meals, but the statutory scheme does not apply to our pre-school children.

We all know that the early years are critical for building the foundations for learning for all children, especially for those in disadvantaged communities. Early years education is vital and the support we provide also goes beyond through high quality, inclusive childcare and support for families that enable children to enjoy education and learning in a warm and welcoming environment and support parents back into education, training and employment. This is particularly important in the hidden pockets of deprivation within the local communities in which First Steps works.

We know that many families living in our local communities have been significantly affected through increased financial pressures, missing out on so many opportunities, and the impact on parents’ and children’s mental and physical health.

First Steps needs to raise a total of £10,000 for the next six months to provide free, nutritionally balanced midday meals, in our day-care settings, for each young child who would qualify for free school meals (statutory free school meals do not apply to our pre-school children). It costs £5 per day to pay for a young child to enjoy a hot nutritious meal in the middle of their day and healthy snacks at break time.

Every donation can help fund free hot meals for young children, thank you!