Today, Nourish California, alongside our resolute partners, called on State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, to take immediate and sustained actions that will help maximize the reach of Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) and related federal funding.
Read the full letter and see excerpts below.
Our organizations continue to hear from communities across the state about the value of P-EBT. We also continue to hear from many families whose children, despite being eligible, were not reached by the last iteration of P-EBT or faced significant administrative hurdles in order to receive benefits. Among the barriers identified are the quality and availability of data as well as the dissemination of clear messaging. We ask that the CDE build on its past successes and address lessons learned to make the next iteration of P-EBT more effective and efficient for the millions of school- and preschool-age children whose families are struggling to make ends meet in the face of the pandemic.
Nutritious food is a right and an educational tool. We must meet children’s basic needs, including nutrition, in order to close the gaps in educational opportunity and academic achievement that harm California’s low-income students and students of color, particularly Black and Latinx children.
No eligible child should go without P-EBT.
