January 13, 1999

To:Board of Health

From:Dr. Sheela V. Basrur, Medical Officer of Health

Subject:Child Nutrition Program

Purpose:

This report provides an update on the Child Nutrition Program, as requested by the Board of Health.

Source of Funds:

The Child Nutrition Program receives $1,310,500 annually from the City of Toronto through the operating budget of Public Health. This is a partnership program that includes Public Health, the provincial government, school boards, the private sector, local communities and parents.

Recommendation:

That this report be received for information.

Background:

On April 19, 1998, City Council approved $1,310,500 from the Public Health budget as the municipal contribution to the Child Nutrition Partnership Program. This Program was designed to fund meal programs for approximately 30,000 children in the 210 programs that were then operating across the new City of Toronto. Municipal funding of meal programs previously existed only in the former City of Toronto.

The Child Nutrition Program funding was based on estimated costs of $.89 per child per day for 185 school days, and a partnership funding model. The total cost of the Program, $4.9M, is shared by the partnership. The municipal portion represents approximately 24% of the total program costs. Matching funds were requested from the province, with the remaining 52% to come from grants, corporate and local fundraising, and parents.

An August 26, 1998 Board of Health report outlined administrative and operational structures to support the Child Nutrition Program, and the process for allocation of the municipal funding. The administrative structure was established to provide mechanisms to support programs and ensure program quality. It included the following components:

(1)Steering Committee: Comprised of 8 members with designates from Public Health, the Toronto District and the Toronto Catholic District School Boards, Foundations of both Boards, Toronto Community Partners for Child Nutrition, and Toronto City Council. The Steering Committee is responsible for policy decisions, allocation of funds, and financial accountability;

(2)Financial Subcommittee: Comprised of 2 members who represent the two School Board Foundations. This Subcommittee prepares funding recommendations for Steering Committee approval, issues funds, and ensures financial accountability of funded programs;

(3)Toronto Community Partners for Child Nutrition: A citywide implementation committee comprised of representatives from the Child Nutrition Program Networks across the city, as well as Public Health, school boards and their Foundations. The role of this committee is to make recommendations to the Steering Committee on policies, funding criteria, formula and allocations; to coordinate program implementation, monitoring and evaluation; and to provide a strong communication link among program networks across the city; and

(4)Local Program Networks: Local committees are responsible for all programs within geographic or administrative districts. Currently, seven community-based Networks are represented at the Toronto Community Partners meetings. These Networks assist programs with the funding application process and with local implementation issues.

Final municipal allocations were based on an equity funding formula developed by the Steering Committee, in consultation with Toronto Community Partners for Child Nutrition. Programs in high need areas received a higher rate of funding than those in lower need areas, where parental contributions were expected to be higher.

The allocation process for municipal funding began in May 1998, when applications were distributed to all existing meal programs. Members of Toronto Community Partners for Child Nutrition assisted sites in preparing applications for the June 12, 1998 deadline and helped review applications for consideration by the Steering Committee.

Comments:

Funding:

In June 1998, a total of $1,206,662.96 was allocated to 212 existing programs for the 1998-9 school year, and cheques for the first instalment of municipal funding were distributed to program sites in September 1998. The remainder of the municipal funding was held temporarily in reserve to assist programs and to fund programs that had missed the June application process. All sites were notified in the fall of the opportunity to appeal allocations that were insufficient for the needs of their programs.

Appeals were received from 22 programs (10%), and their funding was adjusted based on the needs in the area being served. Seven programs that had missed the June deadline were granted new funding. In total, an additional $105,590.57 was allocated to program sites by the Steering Committee during the fall of 1998. The remaining funds are being distributed amongst all programs with the second funding instalment in January 1999, using the equity funding formula.

In the partnership model, Toronto Community Partners for Child Nutrition, School Board Foundations and all program sites are responsible for seeking funding from other sources to cover the program costs. Toronto Community Partners has submitted a request to the provincial government for $102,000 in capital funding for equipment, and is currently awaiting a response. Local Program Networks have also applied to the Provincial Community Partners Program for provincial funding for program coordinators in each Network district.

All programs were required to submit monthly financial reports showing program costs and funds that are raised. The Foundations provided workshops on financial reporting at a number of sites across the city to assist local programs with the reporting process.

The first financial reports from program sites for September and October 1998, have now been analysed. Based on data from 151 local programs, projections for total annual contributions to the Child Nutrition Program are as follows:

Provincial$ 764,00015.6 %

Municipal - City of Toronto$ 1,310,50026.7 %

Grants, Corporate & Local Fundraising$ 500,00010.2 %

Parental Contributions$ 1,744,40035.6 %

TOTAL$ 4,318,90088.1 %

A review of the financial reports up to October 31, 1998 from 151 programs shows that municipal funding has already been leveraged by almost 100% in the first 1 1/2 months of operation. Contributions to the child nutrition program during that period were as follows:

ACTUALIN-KIND

Provincial$ 764,000

Municipal - City of Toronto$ 1,310,500

Grants, Corporate & Local Fundraising:$ 369,858

- Royal Bank$ 50,000

- Toronto Foundation for

Student Success*$300,000

- Local Fundraising$ 19,858

School Boards$1,144,000**

Parental Contributions$ 114,000

TOTAL$ 2,558,358

* Armslength charitable foundation of the Toronto District School Board

** Space, utilities, maintenance, caretaking, food delivery and administrative support

Program Operation:

Most of the child nutrition programs began operation in either September or October, 1998. The programs are coordinated locally through school/community organizations at each site. Approximately 34,000 children were participating in breakfast, snack or lunch programs by October 31, 1998.

Program representatives report that having a stable municipal funding base has meant that the nutritional quality of food has improved greatly because staff can plan menus in advance and purchase milk, fruit, vegetables and nutritious grain products on a regular basis.

Considerable cost savings have been achieved through a partnership with the Toronto District School Board which allows programs to take advantage of the Board contract rates for food purchases. Many programs now purchase milk at a cost saving of 12 cents per serving, a 32% reduction in milk costs. They are also able to access a 65% discount on basic products such as cereal and bread through the GIFT (Grocery Industry Foundation Together) program, and low cost fruit and vegetables through the Field to Table program.

School principals have reported that child nutrition programs have had a noticeable impact on children's ability to learn in school, as well as a positive effect on classroom behaviour.

The creation of the Child Nutrition Program has enabled program coordination on a city-wide basis and thereby strengthened the capacity of Public Health to provide a lead role in program training and support. Public Health staff have conducted nine food safety training sessions this fall with an attendance of over 200 local program staff. All sites will soon have a person trained in food safety present at all times. Citywide food safety committees have been established to provide ongoing education and monitoring of sites.

Public Health Nutritionists conducted a series of eight nutrition workshops across the city. These workshops were attended by 120 meal program staff. Nutritionists are currently developing a program newsletter for distribution three times a year with information on food purchasing, nutrition education, recipes and fundraising opportunities.

Child Nutrition Program statistics from October 31, 1998 show that over 1000 volunteers are currently involved in the programs, higher than the expected level. This suggests that the ability to pay part time program staff has strengthened the capacity to stabilize the volunteer component, rather than replace it.

A strong partnership has developed between Public Health, the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board to ensure that all sites receive timely and ongoing support. This collaboration has greatly strengthened the capacity of Public Health staff to work with children to fulfil Mandatory Program requirements regarding access to healthy foods, development and implementation of guidelines that support healthy eating, and provision of food safety information.

Conclusion:

This progress report, based on data from September to October 31, 1998, shows that municipal funding for the Child Nutrition Program in Toronto has already leveraged close to 100% in additional contributions, and that future fundraising is projected to cover program costs this year. Municipal funding has also provided the basis for citywide consolidation of programs and increased opportunities to enhance nutritional quality of foods, cut food costs, provide staff training in nutrition and food safety, maintain volunteer levels, and fulfil Mandatory Program requirements. Over 34,000 Toronto children now benefit from the Child Nutrition Program, receiving nutritious food during the school day, and increasing their potential to learn effectively.

Contact Names:

Carolyn Barber

Manager, Nutrition Services

Toronto Public Health, Toronto Office

Tel:(416) 392-7451

email: cbarber@toronto.ca

Carol Timmings

Regional Director, Scarborough/East York

Toronto Public Health

Tel:392-1355

email: ctimming@toronto.ca

Dr. Sheela V. Basrur

Medical Officer of Health