ABSTRACT
A school feeding program is essential to provide a balanced diet to ECD children which would in turn enable the children to increase their attention span hence better academic achievement. In this study it was hypothesized that school feeding program has an impact on the success of academic achievement at ECDE level. The school feeding program is a crucial component in the development of a holistic child. Nutrition and health are powerful influences on a child’s learning and how well a child performs in school. The effect of under nutrition on young children aged 0-8 can be devastating and enduring. In the areas of cognitive development, when there is no enough food, the body has to make decision about how to utilize the limited food stuffs available. The study was sought to investigate the effects of Feeding status on school attendance of children in early childhood programs in Meru County. The study delved in depth on how balance diet, the number of times meals are taken, quantity of food taken and health status of the children influence school attendance. The research design guiding the study was descriptive; the target population was 44 preschools comprising of teachers and children. The sample size was selected through stratified random sampling and simple random sampling. Data was collected by use of interview guide and questionnaires. Data was edited for completeness, coded and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), then presented in graphs, tables, frequencies, percentages and charts. The findings revealed that there is a relationship between SFP and children’s school attendance and enrolment. This implies that there is a need to provide SFP in Meru County. Stakeholders that include the County government should work hand in hand to provide SFP in preschools
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
- Introduction
The chapter covers the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, research objectives, research questions, limitations and delimitations of the study, assumption of the study, theoretical and conceptual framework and operational definition of terms.
Background of the Study
Feeding status of children is an indicator of the level of development and future potential of the community. The Feeding status of infants and children under five years of age is of particular concern since the early years of life are crucial for optimal growth and development (Ann, 1999). Throughout the world, there are hundreds of publicly provided programs that seek to improve the well-being of preschool children. In developing countries, for example, programs designed to improve preschool nutrition are common. In addition to their immediate effects, including improved survival and better child growth and development, investments in such programs are often justified on the grounds that they provide longer-term benefits such as improved school readiness and educational attainments, as well as improved outcomes in adulthood including employment and health (Bruner, 2001).
According to the 2007 Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) estimate, 923 million people in the world were chronically hungry, which was an increase of about 75 million people from the 2003-05 estimates (FAO , 2008). Many of these are children, and a vast majority of them are in developing countries. These numbers suggest that the Millennium Development Goals related to hunger and malnutrition
may not be met by 2015. In comparatively higher-income countries of Latin as common, and more likely to be funded and operated on a large scale by government agencies. In the U.S., the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) subsidizes meal provision in 99% of public schools, with enrolment of more than half of children (Schanzenbach, 2009). Despite the ubiquity of school feeding programs, we know surprisingly little about their causal impact on education outcomes, especially academic achievement (Browlby, 2001).
In Africa, SFP provide daily meals to all children attending school, but in some areas the attendance rates remain low (United States & Disaster Assistance Support Program, 2013). This has been linked to the level of poverty experienced in such areas that hinders parents in participating fully in feeding programmes. For example, in Sahel region that is situated between Sahara desert to the north and Sudanian Savanna to the south, only 48% of the children go to school and the situation is even worse for girls (WFP, 2009). Most African countries, for example, Burundi, Congo and Kenya are facing challenges to overcome hunger and poverty. School meals may improve attendance through nutrition by reducing morbidity which is a leading cause of school absenteeism. Adelman, Gilligan and Lehrer, (2008), further attributes that school meals may improve children’s Feeding status that may strengthen their immunity and protects them against diseases (Cohen, 2011).
With the launch of SFP, enrollment rates in African countries like Burundi have increased (World Bank, 2010). For example in Karusi and Cankuzo provinces in Burundi, enrollment rates increased to 58.1 percent in 2007/2008 from 42.5 percent in 2003/2004. Though lack of SFP in most schools may be attributed to low enrolment and school attendance, Adelman, Gilligan and Lehrer, (2008) purports that a number
of children enroll in school late or fail to enroll completely due to other factors like lack of funds, lack of child care and a perception of limited benefits of attending school at a recommended age. The persistence of all these factors has increased the percentage of children not attending school in Africa (Gering, 2006).
Since independence, Kenyan education has developed rapidly. School enrollment has increased tremendously from 892,000 in 1963 to 9.95 million in 2013 (KNBS, 2014) at primary level and from 801,000 in 1989 to 1,281,284 in 2000 at pre-primary level (Mwoma and Ruto 2013). However, high poverty levels which are commonly higher at semi-arid and arid areas have decreased enrolments. In Kenya, approximately 65% of children are not attending pre-school education (Murungi, 2012). This could be attributed to inadequate and underfunded SFP. Hunger affects learning in a big way. A hungry child cannot effectively learn since he/she lacks energy to participate in school’s activities. Such a child is not able to concentrate in class or interact with the environment effectively. It is then necessary to provide SFP to pre-school children to nourish them well (Murungi, 2011). Enrollments have been noticed to increase gradually and sometimes decline completely in some places in Kenya. Wamaru (2012) found out that SFPs have led to increase in enrollments in some schools due to its consistency, while in others there have been a decline in enrollment in spite of provision of SFP. This proves that the SFP should not be underestimated (Heckmaan, 1997).
According to Onyimbo (2007) School Feeding Programme faces several challenges in Kenya which has made the implementation process very difficult. Some of the challenges are: lack of funds, lack of formal training on SFP management courses and lack of parental involvement in these programs. Consequently, implementation
process of SFP has not yet been effectively carried out in most of Kenyan schools. In addition, Parental involvement in preparation of meals is still low hence teachers and pupils are forced to take up the responsibility. Ouko (2012) found out that SFP are an incentive to pupils which make them attend school. Ouko (2012) further revealed that with the provision of SFP, school attendance and enrollment may increase gradually or even decline due to other factors (Jacoby, 1998).
Hagger (2003) cited that lack of stakeholders support and inadequate additional finances hinder the running of the programme. The scarcity of food in Arid and Semi- Arid areas may limit the number of servings per day and hinder provision of variety of foods as well as balanced diet. In addition factors based on needs assessment, community participation, financial management and policy and regulatory frameworks also hinder the running of SFP. A study carried out in Emuhaya County reveals that failure to consider all problems, issues and opportunities and to involve all stakeholders in needs assessment stage hinders the provision of SFP. It was concluded that lack of capacity to plan and manage budget needs, lack of implementing units and arrangements, lack of staff training on knowledge of SFP, lack of monitoring and evaluation and failure to consult the community when designing a SFP may lead to the collapse of the programme (Jensen, 2010).This study investigated the influence of children’s Feeding status on school attendance in early childhood development programs in Meru County.
Statement of the Problem
Proponents of SFP claim that providing food in schools would ostensibly attract children to school, improves their attendance and minimizes drop-outs. According to the United Nations World Food Program, School Feeding Program is an incentive for
vulnerable families to invest in children’s education and encourages poor households to send children to school and helps to keep them there (WFP, 2008). Empirical studies also reveal that School Feeding Programs indeed have significant positive impact on school enrolment. Such studies suggest SFPs are effective in encouraging school enrollment, enhancing class attendances, and lowering student drop-outs (WFP, 2009). To the contrary, few other studies reveal there is no observable impact of School Feeding Program on preschool enrolment (Brunner, 2001).
Despite the advantages, FFE programs are often criticized as an expensive method for producing the stated education and nutrition objectives. For specific education or nutrition outcomes, other, more cost-effective interventions may exist. Other criticisms include that school meal programs may divert class and teacher time away from learning. In addition, logistical and political considerations often make it difficult to effectively target the program to children who are in greatest need or who are most likely to change their behavior (and begin attending school, for example) as a result of the program. Consequently, many programs choose to supply meals to all children. Although this practice prevents claims of inequity, it raises the cost of achieving program objectives, such as increased attendance rates, because it provides transfers to many children who would have attended school anyway. Also, food transfers, even when provided at school, can be diverted at home by taking food away from the beneficiary child at other meals. This practice may be a rational household decision, but it decreases the potential impact of an FFE program on the target child’s outcome (Cohen, 2011).
Regardless of efforts by the county government to encourage improvement of nutrition in preschools through feeding programmes, less has been done due to
multiple challenges. Many studies done on early childhood education focused on other variables for instance Halton, (2014),. More traumatizing is that growth deficiencies that occur during preschool years are difficult and sometimes impossible to reverse. It is clear that improved nutrition and health are seen as necessary conditions for increasing enrolment, attendance, retention and learning achievements in preschoolers (MOEST, 1998). Therefore the researcher sought to establish the effect of Feeding status to school attendance of children in early childhood in Meru County.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of the study was to establish the influence of children’s Feeding status on school attendance in early childhood development programs in Meru County.
Research Objectives
The study was guided by the following objectives:
- To establish the type of meals given to children in early childhood programmes.
- To asses if balanced diet influence school attendance of children in early childhood programmes.
- To establish whether the number of times meals are taken influence school attendance of children in early childhood programmes.
- To find out whether eating the correct amount of food influence school attendance of children in early childhood programmes.
- To investigate whether the health of the child contribute to school attendance of children in early childhood programmes.
