[jpgleeson]

Breakfasts aren’t provided as a form of babysitting. The prevalence of breakfast clubs in schools in low income areas should be a hint as to why they’re instituted. After school activities are more babysitting adjacent, but if parents can’t afford after school minding but really need to hold down a job, it seems like a great idea that also gets kids into sports or chess or whatever.

[graemep]

Why they choose to do it in school rather than providing parents with more money so they can afford to feed their kids is also a hint as to why they are instituted.

"if parents can’t afford after school minding but really need to hold down a job"

i.e. if you want to expand the workforce by providing child minding on the cheap through schools.