Child Nutrition Reauthorization
Child hunger continues to be a significant problem in the United States.
 |
|
President Obama Signs Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
On December 13, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the invited crowd at the Harriet Tubman Elementary School for the signing into law the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Lutherans worked hard to push for passage of this legislation.
[Read more about the bill's progress here. Click here to see how your member voted. Click here  to read USDA Secretary Vilsack's Op-ed piece thanking the ELCA for their efforts.] |
Jeannie Sur, intern with ELCA Washington Office, hand delivers paper plates with messages supporting a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Ill.
Nearly 17 million American children struggle against hunger. While hunger affects people of all ages, it is particularly devastating for children. Even short-term episodes of hunger can cause lasting damage to a child’s development. Hunger puts children at risk for a range of cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and physical problems. Nearly one in four American children experiences hunger each year and as a result is more likely to:
Exhibit decreased attention span and lower test scores;
Display aggression, tardiness, and absenteeism; and,
Become sick or hospitalized.
Child nutrition programs are a first line of defense against child hunger.
Educate
BackgroundThe
Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act authorizes all of the federal school meal and child nutrition programs, which provide funding to ensure that low-income children have access to healthy and nutritious foods.
Millions of low-income children benefit from the foods provided by child nutrition programs. Congress reviews these programs every 5 years or so, and this renewal process provides an opportunity to improve and strengthen the programs so they better meet the needs of our nation’s children.
The ELCA has 5 priorities for the 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization. 1. Invest in Children: Congress must provide a substantial investment of new funding for child nutrition programs in the budget. A $10 billion investment of new funds (an additional $1 billion per year) would enable authorizing committees in Congress to make critical improvements in these programs. Additionally, Congress must continue to fully fund WIC during the annual appropriations process to allow the program to serve all eligible women, infants, and children seeking enrollment.
2. Improve Access: Many families are unable to access benefits for which their children are eligible because not all programs operate in every community. We must improve access by increasing the number of breakfast, summer, and afterschool meal programs in operation and exploring alternative models to link children with the food they need when they are out of school.
3. Increase Participation: Not all children who qualify for assistance enroll in the programs, often because of burdensome application procedures, social stigma, or other barriers to participation. We must simplify the eligibility determination and application process to make it easier for families to enroll children in these programs.
4. Improve Program Implementation: Many states could do a better job implementing child nutrition programs. We should encourage states to be active partners in working to end child hunger by setting performance targets, providing incentives, and rewarding progress.
5. Improve Benefit Adequacy: Our first priority is ensuring that children have enough to eat, but we must take steps to provide children not just with enough food, but the right food.
For more on the ELCA’s legislative goals, read the
Interfaith Statement on Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
Learn More: Childhood HungerFast Facts on Child HungerRoadmap to End Childhood Hunger by 2015
Learn More: Child Nutrition ReauthorizationAn Overview of Child Nutrition Reauthorization from Bread for the WorldChild Nutrition Programs and ParticipationChild Nutrition 101 from FRAC
Back to the Top