Research shows KidsCan programmes helping

John Key MP
National Party Leader

18 July 2007

Research shows KidsCan programmes helping

National Party Leader John Key has welcomed Massey University research showing that low decile schools are seeing improvements in children’s self esteem, attendance and pride in their schools as a result of KidsCan programmes.

“KidsCan’s approach with the ‘foods for kids’ and ‘raincoats for kids’ programmes, are the type of initiatives National will back should it become the government.

“As I highlighted in my underclass speech at Burnside, children should not go to school constantly hungry. They can’t and don’t learn if they do.

“Helen Clark’s reaction to my speech was to deny that an underclass existed.

“KidsCan charitable trust operates programmes trying to help out students at low-decile schools. It distributes food each week to 6,000 hungry children and it has a waiting list of 10,000 children in need of help.

“Meanwhile, under its ‘raincoats for kids’ programme, KidsCan has distributed 16,000 Adidas All Blacks-branded raincoats.

“I welcome this research, which makes it clear that the programmes offered by KidsCan are of real value to low-decile schools.

“The KidsCan example is another of the community approach to this issue that I was advocating.

“In government, National will be backing these sorts of programmes.”

ENDS