Vulnerable children in Nottinghamshire will not go hungry this Easter as Nottinghamshire County Council’s free school meals scheme will be provided through the Easter holidays.
25,800 children and young people in the county received free school meals over the October, Christmas and February school holidays; and the scheme is now being extended to provide thousands of meals to the most vulnerable families over Easter.
The Government is making an investment of more than £800,000 through the Covid Winter Grant Scheme to make sure that children and young people who qualify for free school meals have access to food vouchers. Each eligible child aged 5 to 18 will receive £15, and preschool children will receive £10 for each of the two-week Easter holiday period.
The Council has written to schools, nurseries and colleges across Nottinghamshire to make them aware that the Covid Winter Grant Scheme is being extended. Vouchers will be given to families by their nursery, school or college in time for Easter.
Councillor Philip Owen, Chairman of the Children and Young People’s Committee, said: “We wanted to ensure that families were given the earliest notification possible, to give them reassurance that this support would be available over the Easter Holiday period.
“This continues the commitment of the current administration to support the most vulnerable families across Nottinghamshire to ensure that they come through the pandemic in as safe a way as possible.
“We recognise the pressures families in Nottinghamshire are under and we remain committed to supporting them. I am pleased that children in Nottinghamshire will receive help at a time when families continue to be affected by the ongoing coronavirus situation.