All Kids Deserve Healthy Foods
Supporting the bipartisan Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act will help about 3.8 million lower-income children who benefit from the Child and Adult Care Food program.
It's natural for parents to worry about the quality of care their kids receive when in child care. And one thing in particular parents think about is whether or not their children are getting enough to eat -- and enough healthy food. We know that when children are provided with nutritious meals, they are healthier and perform better in their day-to-day activities and long-term endeavors. To help improve healthy eating for more children in child care, Common Sense Kids Action is encouraging its members to voice their support now for a bipartisan bill to strengthen an important existing federal child care feeding program.
About 3.8 million lower-income children benefit from the Child and Adult Care Food program, which reimburses certain child care providers for up to two meals and one snack per day per child. By providing nutritious meals, children learn healthy eating habits and receive proper daily nutrition. But there's a problem -- children are spending increasing numbers of hours in child care as parents are working more hours to make ends meet, and that means two meals and one snack are not enough. In addition, paperwork burdens of the program are leading some child care providers to back out of the program, causing even fewer eligible children to receive the healthy meals they need.
- Allows child care providers who care for children for eight hours or more a day to be reimbursed for an additional snack or meal beyond the current two meals and one snack per day.
- Simplifies the process for child care providers by reducing paperwork and increasing use of technology.
- Reduces eligibility applications for feeding program providers from monthly to every six months.
- Clarifies for child care providers enrollment requirements.
We need to show support for this program now because there's a chance that, later this fall, Congress will consider a larger childhood nutrition bill, and we want to make sure this child care nutrition provision is included in the larger bill.
It's natural for parents to worry about the quality of care their kids receive when in child care. And one thing in particular parents think about is whether or not their children are getting enough to eat -- and enough healthy food. We know that when children are provided with nutritious meals, they are healthier and perform better in their day-to-day activities and long-term endeavors. To help improve healthy eating for more children in child care, Common Sense Kids Action is encouraging its members to voice their support now for a bipartisan bill to strengthen an important existing federal child care feeding program.
About 3.8 million lower-income children benefit from the Child and Adult Care Food program, which reimburses certain child care providers for up to two meals and one snack per day per child. By providing nutritious meals, children learn healthy eating habits and receive proper daily nutrition. But there's a problem -- children are spending increasing numbers of hours in child care as parents are working more hours to make ends meet, and that means two meals and one snack are not enough. In addition, paperwork burdens of the program are leading some child care providers to back out of the program, causing even fewer eligible children to receive the healthy meals they need.
- Allows child care providers who care for children for eight hours or more a day to be reimbursed for an additional snack or meal beyond the current two meals and one snack per day.
- Simplifies the process for child care providers by reducing paperwork and increasing use of technology.
- Reduces eligibility applications for feeding program providers from monthly to every six months.
- Clarifies for child care providers enrollment requirements.
We need to show support for this program now because there's a chance that, later this fall, Congress will consider a larger childhood nutrition bill, and we want to make sure this child care nutrition provision is included in the larger bill.
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