The Biden administration is taking action against food insecurity among children, which has been dramatically increased by the coronavirus pandemic. The administration is launching a major summer food program, paid for by the American Rescue Plan, ensuring that kids who get free meals at school during the academic year don’t go hungry over the summer. This expands on and continues an existing program that has shown significant effectiveness at reducing child hunger.
“This is the single largest summer child nutrition effort in our nation’s history,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.
Up to 34 million children—including kids under six years old on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and those who get free or reduced price school meals—will get $375 for food over the summer, through a Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) card. According to a 2016 study, a benefit of just $60 a month reduced “the most severe category of food insecurity among children during the summer by one-third.” A Brookings Institution study found that the 2020 P-EBT program worked to reduce child hunger: “during the first week after P-EBT benefits are paid, the rate of children not getting enough to eat declines by 11 percentage points—which is more than a 30 percent reduction in the usual rate in this population,” translating to 2.7 to 3.9 million children who didn’t go hungry thanks to the program.
Stepping in to keep kids from going hungry over the summer is critical. According to Feeding America, 22 million kids get free or reduced price school meals, while just 4 million get meals through the USDA Summer Food Service Program.
This isn’t the only move the Biden administration has made recently to reduce child hunger. The Department of Agriculture announced last week that it was extending universal free school lunches throughout the 2021-2022 school year, and allowing flexibility to offer meals to go and at times other than traditional lunch time, so that districts can ensure all the kids who need the meals are able to access them. School districts will also get a higher per-meal reimbursement rate than during the usual school year, lunch-at-school program.
The Biden administration has previously enabled an increase in SNAP benefits to the neediest families, in addition to a Congress-passed 15% boost to other SNAP recipients and an increase in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children benefits.
“This is the single largest summer child nutrition effort in our nation’s history,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.
Up to 34 million children—including kids under six years old on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and those who get free or reduced price school meals—will get $375 for food over the summer, through a Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) card. According to a 2016 study, a benefit of just $60 a month reduced “the most severe category of food insecurity among children during the summer by one-third.” A Brookings Institution study found that the 2020 P-EBT program worked to reduce child hunger: “during the first week after P-EBT benefits are paid, the rate of children not getting enough to eat declines by 11 percentage points—which is more than a 30 percent reduction in the usual rate in this population,” translating to 2.7 to 3.9 million children who didn’t go hungry thanks to the program.
Stepping in to keep kids from going hungry over the summer is critical. According to Feeding America, 22 million kids get free or reduced price school meals, while just 4 million get meals through the USDA Summer Food Service Program.
This isn’t the only move the Biden administration has made recently to reduce child hunger. The Department of Agriculture announced last week that it was extending universal free school lunches throughout the 2021-2022 school year, and allowing flexibility to offer meals to go and at times other than traditional lunch time, so that districts can ensure all the kids who need the meals are able to access them. School districts will also get a higher per-meal reimbursement rate than during the usual school year, lunch-at-school program.
The Biden administration has previously enabled an increase in SNAP benefits to the neediest families, in addition to a Congress-passed 15% boost to other SNAP recipients and an increase in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children benefits.