1.7.2013 Staff at California Food Policy Advocates hope your year has gotten off to a great start and wish you the best in the coming months. 2012 proved a busy (and fruitful) year for CFPA and our partners. We were successful in launching new initiatives and campaigns, introducing several noteworthy legislative proposals, and tackling some longstanding challenges facing low-income Californians. Combined these efforts will help ensure a healthier California!
We are thankful for our successes, the partnerships that made them possible, and look forward to continuing our work together in 2013.
We’ve taken a moment to reflect on some of the most significant milestones of 2012, including expanding Breakfast in the Classroom, improving access to healthy beverages in schools and child care settings, and finally seeing the end of the finger imaging requirement for CalFresh.
2012 CFPA Sponsored Legislation
In 2012, CFPA introduced a robust legislative agenda including two bills which made their way to the Governor’s desk. While the Governor vetoed both AB 1594 (Eng) and AB 1872 (Alejo), CFPA made significant progress in building long-term support for these issues and paving the way for future success.
- AB 1594 would have extended the needy student meal mandate to California charter schools ensuring that all low-income students have access to nutritious, affordable meals. CFPA’s focus on improving nutrition in California charter schools will continue in 2013. CFPA plans to launch a charter school nutrition advocacy campaign to generate widespread state and local engagement on the issue and address pragmatic concerns regarding implementation of meal programs in charter schools.
- AB 1872 would have set nutrition standards for family day care home providers and required the state to inform all providers about the Child and Adult Care Food Program. AB 1872 received broad support and helped CFPA develop new child care partnerships. In addition, AB 1872’s legacy has led to a new proposal on CFPA’s 2013 legislative agenda, Foundations for Health Nutrition in Child Care.
Breakfast in the Classroom
In partnership with a number of local organizations and key stakeholders, including CFPA, LAUSD launched breakfast in the classroom in almost 200 schools across the district. We commend LAUSD for their commitment to helping end childhood hunger by ensuring that tens of thousands of additional students have access to the most important meal of the day.
Building on Health Care Reform
Over the past year CFPA expanded our focus on increasing CalFresh participation by building on the momentum of health care reform. Working with partners through the Alliance to Transform CalFresh, CFPA urged policymakers to include the infrastructure to connect people to a CalFresh application after enrolling in health coverage. CFPA continues to emphasize the importance of using technology to support low-income households in only telling their personal story once. Our work in this area, known as horizontal integration, is far from over; 2012 laid the groundwork for future success.
Healthy Beverages in Child Care
In January 2012, AB 2084, California’s healthy beverages in child care law, went into effect and CFPA supported implementation via the launch of www.healthybeveragesinchildcare.org. In addition, CFPA co-published with UC Berkeley Atkins Center for Weight and Health a commissioned analysis on the importance of water with meals for children, an evaluation of AB 2084 implementation, and presented on healthy beverages in child care at a number of state and national convening’s.
Implementation of AB 6 – Removal of Finger Imaging Requirement for CalFresh
As of January 1, 2012 CalFresh applicants are no longer required to provide a fingerprint image to receive benefits, making the application process more streamlined and supporting CalFresh modernization. Low-income Californians now have the option to apply for CalFresh, start to finish, without going to the local county office. This improvement is particularly significant in supporting CalFresh participation among working households.
Nutrition in Child Care Settings
Thanks to support from First5LA, over the next few years every child care provider in Los Angeles County will have the opportunity to receive nutrition education and policy implementation training. This will help ensure nutritious meals are served in child care and instill healthy eating habits early in life.
Protecting the State Child Care Meal Reimbursement
Advocacy efforts by CFPA and child care stakeholders were successful in attaining the attention of the Assembly and Senate budget committees, who restored the funding for CACFP state meal reimbursements in their version of the budget. Unfortunately, the Governor ignored the legislators’ stance on child care nutrition and penciled this item back into the budget. In total, $10.1 million to the non-Proposition 98 General Fund for state reimbursement of CACFP meals were eliminated. CFPA is committed to ensuring that child care providers have the resources necessary to provide nutritious, affordable meals for children in their care and will continue our advocacy to bring back the state reimbursement.
Updated Nutrition Standards for School Meals
Early in 2012, USDA updated the nutrition standards for school meals, thereby increasing the amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grains served, as well as placing new limits on calories and sodium. Schools across the state were required at the start of the 2012-13 school year to implement these new regulations. CFPA strongly supports the new nutrition standards and will continue to advocate for meals that are not only nutritious, but also appealing to students via CFPA’s REAL School Food Initiative.
Water in Schools
CFPA continued to support effective implementation of SB 1413, California’s law to put water in schools, through www.waterinschools.org, the publication of a recent journal article and policy brief, presentations at state and national policy convening’s. In 2013 CFPA will work with key partners on new policy research looking into the challenges and solutions related to providing water in schools, including how to ensure children have access to safe drinking water through site-appropriate delivery options.
