Nearly a quarter (24%) of households with children under the age of five experience food poverty, according to new analysis.

Published today by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) through its Early Years Observatory, the study also found that among single-parent households with children under five, the rate rises to one in two.

More than a third (39%) of households with a child under five and an adult with a disability experience food poverty.

While some nursery children are entitled to free meals, this applies only to children attending standalone state-maintained nursery schools and school-based nurseries, according to the EPI. Most pre-school children in registered early years settings are not covered.

Recommendations

The EPI's Early Years Observatory has set out three key recommendations:

• Extend free meal eligibility to all disadvantaged pre-school children regardless of the type of setting they attend, so access is based on need rather than local provision.

• Widen the Healthy Start Scheme to include four-year-olds and non-British children in households with no recourse to public funds and raise the income threshold to capture more eligible families.

• Review the wider safety net of policies to ensure all families have adequate incomes to afford essentials, including nutritious food.

Comment

Dr Kerris Cooper, Associate Director (Early Years and Inequalities), said: ‘The support that exists was designed around older children and overlooks pre-school children despite higher levels of need: most pre-school children do not have access to free meals, and the Healthy Start Scheme leaves out children who need it. Both are clear, actionable fixes, along with addressing the route cause of the problem which is income poverty.’

Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor MBE, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, said: ‘Supporting children and young people to lead happy and fulfilling lives is one of the most important jobs councils do, but there needs to be an increased focus on preventative measures to reduce pressure on local services.’