Grown Ups

1. Find out what people want

2. What type of breakfast club are you going to set up?

There are many different types of breakfast club. The style of breakfast club that you set up will depend upon the reason for your club.

Visit the getting started section of the Breakfast Club Plus website for more information on the types of club you could run.

3. Funding

There are lots of different ways in which you can fund your club. These include:

• Local authority funding
• Grants
• Charging

Top tips for funding

• Make a realistic budget before you start.
• Speak to local shops and supermarkets to see whether they can help you with payments in kind, such as donations of food or equipment.
• Consider whether you could supplement your breakfast club staff with volunteers.

Download a copy of the Breakfast Club Plus resource guide. This guide is full of useful tips on approaching funding and is the best place to start your search. Funding information is located on page 28.

For more information visit the Breakfast Club Plus funding pages.

4. Childcare – are you offering formal day care?

If you are considered to be offering formal day care services, you will have to register your provision.  Check with the regulating body for your area: 

England - Ofsted
Scotland - the Care Commission
Wales - the Care Standards Inspectorate (CSIW)

Some organisations voluntarily register their breakfast club as formal childcare, even if they don’t need to do so.

 

5. Staffing

For the latest staff ratios, and more information on staffing your club, visit the Breakfast Club Plus.

Steering group

It is a good idea to set up a breakfast club advisory or steering group. The group will give you access to a broader base of advice, as well as creative ideas for developing your club. 

 

6. Rules and regulations

There are some rules and regulations that you should you ensure you follow when setting up your breakfast club. These include:

• Food hygiene
• First aid
• Insurance
• Health and safety
• Child protection

Find out what is required of you by visiting the Breakfast Club Plus rules and regulations.

You should always check specific regulations and instructions from your local authority, the schools’ senior management team, the owners of the premises and your funders.

 

7. Menu

Schools are now subject to much more rigorous standards in the types of food and nutritional standards of food that they serve. This includes breakfast clubs.

England: Download the latest government report published by the School Food Trust 'Guidance for food based standards for foods other than lunch' to make sure you know exactly what the standards are.

Scotland: The Hungry for Success initiative sets out clear nutritional standards for school dinners in Scotland, aimed at ensuring they represent a balanced meal and are of suitable quality. Find out more about the guidelines at the Learning and Teaching Scotland website.

Wales: Download the nutritional guidance for Wales from the Welsh Assembly website.

Northern Ireland: Download the new nutritional standards for school meals and other food in schools.

 

8. Activities

There are many different ways to incorporate activities into your breakfast club. Added activities attract members and keep them coming all year round. They also help develop concentration, social skills and confidence.

For activity ideas, visit the Breakfast Club Plus activity page. Topical activity ideas can be found each month in the Breakfast Bulletin. You can sign up for this e-newsletter at www.breakfastclubplus.org.uk.

 

9. Evaluation – How are we doing?

There are many good reasons why you should monitor and evaluate your breakfast club from the beginning. If you monitor your breakfast club’s progress, this will:

• Help you to plan for the future and keep your club fresh
• Ensure that you are a club that young people want to go to
• Supply you with evidence to support any future funding applications

10. Celebrate

Since 1999 ContinYou and Kellogg’s have run a national Breakfast Club Plus Award scheme to celebrate the achievements and benefits of breakfast clubs.

For more information on entering your breakfast club in the award scheme, www.breakfastclubplus.org.uk.