2.02.2016 Last week, the White House hosted a conversation on child hunger in America and announced two promising new investments in child nutrition: (1) a proposal to give more kids year-round access to nutritious meals by expanding Summer EBT for Children and (2) federal action to improve eligible students’access to school meals by increasing direct certification with Medi-Cal data.
These investments highlight two policy priorities that CFPA has long championed as a means of connecting California kids with the nutritious meals they need to learn, grow, and achieve at their full potential.
Summer EBT for Children: The President’s FY 2017 Budget includes a proposal to expand and make permanent Summer Electronic Benefits for Children (SEBTC), a well-tested method of decreasing food insecurity and improving nutrition by providing resources for the purchase of groceries when school is out of session and school meals are unavailable.
Summer EBT for Children is especially important for the nearly 2 million low-income kids across our state who benefit from free or reduced-price school lunches during the academic year but miss out on similar meals during the summer months.
Learn more about CFPA’s efforts to make SEBTC a reality for California kids. link
Direct Certification with Medi-Cal Data: USDA is committed to increasing access to school nutrition programs by expanding the use of Medicaid (Medi-Cal) data in directly certifying eligible students for free and reduced-price school meals. Direct certification decreases administrative burdens on school districts, streamlines enrollment for families, and upholds program integrity, ultimately connecting more eligible students with critical nutrition resources.
California now has the opportunity to apply for a USDA demonstration project that would expand the use of direct certification with Medi-Cal data. An ongoing pilot project in 14 California school districts has already shown the potential of this work to efficiently, effectively reach students in need. The State can build on this success by seizing the newly announced opportunity from USDA.
Read more about direct certification on CFPA’s School Meal Enrollment page. link
SNAP (CalFresh): Panelists also highlighted the critical role the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, known in California as CalFresh) plays in reducing food insecurity and poverty.
Read more about recent research linking SNAP/CalFresh participation to improved long-term health, education, and economic outcomes. link
CFPA Board Member on the National Stage: CFPA Board Member, Dr. Hilary Seligman, was invited to join the 1/27 White House event. She presented a summary of research on the connections between food insecurity and health, highlighting some of the medical costs that result from insufficient food budgets.
Watch Hilary in action at the event. link
Read more about the White House conversation and the impressive panel of speakers. link
Questions? Contact Anna Colby at 213.482.8200 ext. 204
