The issue of family planning, particularly for those in low-income communities, can often be a touchy subject, even though the lack thereof has continued to be shown to lead to adverse incomes for the most vulnerable.

Many are reluctant to tell people what they should or should not do with their bodies regarding their personal reproductive choices.

However, when the consequences of those choices become public concerns, then public conversations on that and other wide-ranging issues become necessary.

Family planning helps families limit the number of children they have to a level they can adequately support.

This can lead to reduced financial strain, as fewer children mean fewer expenses related to food, education, and healthcare in a society like ours that has high food costs and strained public healthcare and education resources.

It enables parents to invest more in the well-being and future prospects of each child.

Countless studies have borne this out.

Though there are not too many children in The Bahamas, there are far too many children whose parents are unable to adequately provide for them.

This is no child's fault as they did not have a say in whether they were born.

And in some cases, parents were not adequately prepared to have children.

The Department of Social Services provides assistance, as do many non-profit agencies, but no program is meant to indefinitely support those who should be able to support their own families.

When families plan their pregnancies, they can provide better care and nutrition to their children.

What we have now is a situation where many families cannot.

There are many children in The Bahamas who go to bed hungry, wake up hungry and go to bed the same way.

It is, of course, the responsibility of parents to feed their children, but it is not acceptable to know that they are allowed to continue to go hungry.

It is in the best interests of society to not only be humanitarian to feed those who cannot fend for themselves, but to provide the best environment in which children can have better educational outcomes.

We welcome, then, the initiative by the Ministry of Education to launch a pilot free breakfast program at eight schools in The Bahamas in October with the aim of improving attendance and productivity among students.

The program, which will reportedly cost $1 million for the academic year, will provide breakfast three days per week to all students at the schools.

Schools with a population under 600 and with attendance rates below 89.2 percent were the main criteria the ministry looked at when deciding which schools to use for the pilot.

The program will be launched at Columbus Primary School, Ridgeland Primary School, Sandilands Primary School and Albury Sayle Primary School in New Providence.

The schools that are going to be testing the program on the Family Islands are Rolleville Primary School in Exuma, Holmes Rock Primary School in Grand Bahama, Cherokee Sound Primary School in Abaco and Old Bight Primary School in Cat Island.

The program will feed approximately 2,500 children.

Monday, Thursday and Friday are the designated days for the free breakfast.

Meals will include croissant sandwiches with turkey, sausage and egg, and oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts.

"The pilot and the budget covers one school year and based on what the outcomes are during that year, decisions will be made," said Minister of Education Glenys Hanna-Martin last week.

This is an important undertaking.

Free primary school breakfast programs offer several benefits, both for students and the school community as a whole.

Research has shown that students who eat breakfast regularly tend to perform better, have improved concentration, cognitive function, and memory, which can lead to higher test scores and better classroom participation.

Breakfast programs can encourage better school attendance rates.

When students know they can access a free meal at school, they are more likely to arrive on time and regularly attend class.

A well-balanced breakfast can help stabilize blood sugar levels, reducing irritability and mood swings.

This can lead to a more positive and focused learning environment, with fewer disruptive behaviors.

Investing in childhood nutrition can also lead to long-term economic benefits for society.

Healthy, well-nourished children are more likely to grow into well-adjusted productive adults with fewer health-related issues.

It is obvious that free breakfast for some primary school children alone will not fix all that ails school children and, ultimately, our society.

But it is certainly a good start.

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