Early childcare centres want inclusion in free lunch prog ramme

There are calls for the government to consider including early childcare centres in its roll out of free school lunches. The Prime Minister's announced students from 30 primary and intermediate schools will receive a free lunch from the beginning of next year. One of the first schools to get the initiative is Kaitao Intermediate School in Rotorua, where the Prime Minister made the announcement yesterday. But under the programme, early childhood centres will be excluded. Kidscan supports 950 children in 25 early childhood centres around the country with more than 100 others on the waiting list. Clare Harper-Lee is the head teacher at Anne West Kindergarten, in Kaitaia, which has provided free lunches under a pilot programme since October last year. She told Rowan Quinn about the impact it's had on the centre and the kids.