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Child Nutrition Reauthorization

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in Contra Costa County, 10.6% of children live in poverty and in Solano County, 11% of children live in poverty. (Federal poverty guidelines are $ 22,050 for a family of four.)
This is especially difficult in a high-cost area like Contra Costa and Solano counties where the cost-of-living is more than 50 % above the national average. It is no wonder that and many of the people we serve through the Food Bank are working but not making enough to make ends meet. In fact, The California Budget Project estimates that a single parent with 2 children needs an income of approximately $60,000 per year to afford just the basics in the Bay Area.

One of the most effective ways to reduce child hunger is through the expansion and improvement of existing federal child nutrition programs. Programs such as school lunches and breakfasts, Summer Food, WIC, and after-school meals are successful tools in helping low-income children in their physical, emotional, educational, and social development. They need our advocacy to continue and grow.

This year, Congress will review the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. This legislation, which expired at the end of September, includes funding for federal child nutrition programs.

Child nutrition priorities are designed to:

  1. Strengthen the quality and efficiency of all child nutrition programs
  2. Fill the gaps in food service for millions of low-income children
  3. Offer creative ideas for new and innovative approaches to ending childhood hunger

Afterschool and Child Care Nutrition
(Child and Adult Care Food Program)

  • Expand supper funding for At-Risk After-School Programs beyond the current 8 states (DE, IL, MI, MO, PA, NY, OR, & WV) to all states and the District of Columbia.[NOTE: FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations added VT and MD]
  • Reduce the area eligibility threshold for At-Risk After-School Programs from 50% of children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals down to 40%.
  • Provide child care centers and home day cares with the option of providing a third meal.
  • Provide funding for outreach to recruit new sponsors to participate in CACFP.
  • Increase funding for CACFP expansion grants.
  • Require the publication of a CACFP manual to help applicants and program sponsors.
    Summer Nutrition (The Summer Food Service Program; Rural Summer Initiatives)
  • Reduce the area eligibility threshold for SFSP from areas where 50% of children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals to areas where 40% are eligible.
  • Expand the California SFSP pilot, which authorized use of the SFSP program year round, to more or all states, with the provision that meals may be served afterschool year round to reduce need for separate program applications and criteria for summer and CACFP afterschool programs.
    o Increase the percentage of second meals that sponsors may be reimbursed for to recognize the variable nature of attendance in the summer and the need to reduce food waste.
  • Provide outreach funding to get new sponsors/sites/participants into the SFSP program by, among other things, providing funding for USDA and/or states to develop and implement aggressive outreach programs to get more children into summer food programs, and offering Start-up grants for new SFSP sponsors to encourage them to begin new programs
  • Raise or eliminate the restrictions on non-profit sponsors on the number of operating sites and participants they may serve.

Summer Nutrition
(The Summer Food Service Program; Rural Summer Initiatives)

  • Reduce the area eligibility threshold for SFSP from areas where 50% of children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals to areas where 40% are eligible.
  • Expand the California SFSP pilot, which authorized use of the SFSP program year round, to more or all states, with the provision that meals may be served afterschool year round to reduce need for separate program applications and criteria for summer and CACFP afterschool programs.
  • Increase the percentage of second meals that sponsors may be reimbursed for to recognize the variable nature of attendance in the summer and the need to reduce food waste.
  • Provide outreach funding to get new sponsors/sites/participants into the SFSP program by, among other things, providing funding for USDA and/or states to develop and implement aggressive outreach programs to get more children into summer food programs, and offering Start-up grants for new SFSP sponsors to encourage them to begin new programs.
  • Raise or eliminate the restrictions on non-profit sponsors on the number of operating sites and participants they may serve.

For a complete list of recommendations, please download Feeding America's Child Nutrition Priorities (PDF:195KB)

Take Action!

Have lunch at a public school in your neighborhood and let us know what you think. Talk to kids, teachers and staff about what's in the food and what the kids are (or aren't) eating. Here's a checklist to help you. We will use the information you provide in our recommendations for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization. Look for additional resources at www.angrymoms.org. After your lunch, please report back to us by calling 925-771-1304 or emailing lsherrill@foodbankccs.org. Thank you!

QUESTIONS?

For more information about how you can help take action against hunger, please contact Lisa Sherrill at (925) 676-7543 ext. 206 or lsherrill@foodbankccs.org.

Find your Federal representative by visiting www.house.gov.