1030 15 th Street NW, Suite 1100 NW, Washington, DC 20005 | 5/8/2015 | Page 1

1030 15th Street NW, Suite 1100 NW, Washington, DC 20005 | 5/8/2015 | Page 1


CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION 101

1030 15th Street NW, Suite 1100 NW, Washington, DC 20005 | MM / DD / YYYY | Page #


WHAT IS CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION (CNR)?

The federal law that sets the policy, rules and funding for most of the child nutrition programs, including:

• School Breakfast Program• National School Lunch Program• Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option• Child and Adult Care Food Program• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)

Established in 1966, the legislation is up for reauthorization every 5 years. The legislation was previously reauthorized in 2010 as the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act and expires on September 30, 2015.

Who’s in charge?• House: House Education and Workforce • Senate: Senate Agriculture Committee



HEALTHY HUNGRY FREE KIDS ACT OF 2010

SCHOOL MEALS: Improved nutritional quality of the food served in schools and increased reimbursements for lunches.

BREAKFAST: Increased access to school breakfast by introducing the community eligibility provision.

SUMMER: Required schools to engage in outreach activities to families about summer meals sites. Change the site limits for sponsors.

AFTERSCHOOL: Implemented the afterschool meals program nationally following a ten state pilot.

DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS: Created the End Childhood Hunger Demonstration Project.

OFFSET: Paid for changes in the nutrition programs with funding for SNAP Benefits.



COMMITTEES

• House Education and Workforce Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee draft separate bills.

• Committees hold hearings on programs in the legislation.

• Committees vote on bills.

FULL HOUSE & SENATE

• Committee bills go to full House and Senate -- assuming passage out of Committees.

• Amendments offered to bills.

• Full House and Senate vote on bills.

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

• Selected Conference Committee members to merge House and Senate bills.

• Final bill sent to House and Senate floor for passage.

PRESIDENT

• President signs or vetoes legislation.

HOW THE CHILD NUTRITION ACT BECOMES LAW



CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION

2015


SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM

Today, only about half of the students that receive a free or reduced-price meal lunch at school participate in the School Breakfast Program. The most effective way to increase participation in the School Breakfast Program is to make breakfast a part of the school day.

RECOMMENDATION

Congress should continue to support efforts to increase participation in the School Breakfast Program and to ensure children receive healthy meals at school through Child Nutrition Reauthorization.



CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAMSAt-Risk Afterschool Meals

Operating under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program helps students get the nutritious meals they need in a safe, supervised location.

At-risk afterschool meals became a nationwide program in the 2010 reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act after a ten state pilot program.

The red tape involved in having to operate multiple programs to serve kids meals, like serving meals during the summer through the Summer Food Service Program and meals during the school year through the At-risk Afterschool Meals Program, can be a time-consuming and expensive hurdle for schools and community-based organizations. It creates an administrative burden that prevents organizations and schools from consistently providing meals to kids in need.

RECOMMENDATION

Congress should streamline out-of-school meal programs, including the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program and the Summer Meals Programs, into a single program and align program rules to eliminate red tape for organizations and schools.



The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) assists low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants and young children up to age five with obtaining the healthy food they need.

WIC fights childhood hunger and improves health; children under age three participating in WIC are more likely to be in excellent or good health compared to eligible children who do not participate in the program.

Maintaining strong support for WIC is essential to ensure it meets the needs of low-income pregnant women and their young children.

RECOMEMNDATION

Congress should continue to support this program, as well as identify opportunities to more efficiently streamline program eligibility rules and enrollment procedures.

WIC (SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN)



CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION

2015: SUMMER


Authorized by Congress in 1968.

Fills the gap when school meals are not available during the summer months.

Meals are available to low-income kids age 18 and under.

Administered by the USDA and through state agencies.

Meals are served at community sites, like churches, community centers, schools, and parks, located in the areas where at least 50 percent of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals

SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM



IT’S TIME TO IMPROVE THE SUMMER MEALS PROGRAMS

is the additional amount low-income families spend on groceries each month during

summer

of eligible kids live in communities not allowed

to serve free meals at open sites because of

outdated program rules

of low-income families say it’s harder to make

ends meet during the summer



MILLIONS OF KIDS ARE MISSING OUT ON SUMMER MEALS: EXAMPLE FROM NEVADA



WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Research shows that, during the summer months, children from low-income families in America are more at risk for:

83% OF EDUCATORS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR STUDENTS NOT HAVING ENOUGH TO

EAT DURING THE SUMMER.

Increased rates of food insecurity.

Increased health problems.

Increased rates of behavioral problems.

Summer learning loss. Many students struggling with hunger return to school in the fall a full two months academically behind their peers.



RECOMMENDED POLICY UPDATES

CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND PROTECT SUMMER MEAL SITES.

GIVE STATES AND COMMUNITIES MORE OPTIONS TO IMPLEMENT EFFICIENT PROGRAMS TO REACH KIDS IN HARD TO REACH COMMUNITIES.

ALLOW STATES THE OPTION TO PROVIDE LOW-INCOME FAMILIES WITH A GROCERY CREDIT DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.

ALLOW COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND SCHOOLS TO CUT THROUGH RED TAPE AND COMBINE THEIR MEAL PROGRAMS INTO A SINGLE YEAR ROUND PROGRAM.

Learn more at NoKidHungry.org/Policy

http://www.nokidhungry.org/Policy

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1030 15 th Street NW, Suite 1100 NW, Washington, DC 20005 | 5/8/2015 | Page 1