By: David Hutabarat
Child nutrition is a critical part of addressing hunger. For a number of reasons, there are unique challenges and opportunities for addressing child hunger compared to other groups of people like older adults. For example, children are in a unique stage of development and they spend a large part of their day at school.
Currently, there are several important federal child nutrition programs. Learn about each program by clicking on the links below.
- National School Lunch Program
- School Breakfast Program
- Child and Adult Care Food Program
- Summer Food Service Program
- Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
- Women, Infants, Children (WIC)
- WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP)
Why are child nutrition programs helpful?
Hunger Free Colorado believes that nobody should go hungry. Likewise, we understand that as we invest in people, we create a better society for everyone – you and me included. Ensuring children have affordable access to adequate nutrition leads to better health and education outcomes.
Because children are in a critical stage of cognitive and behavioral development, adequate nutrition can help them develop in healthy ways, which can carry into adulthood [1, 2]. Programs like school meals are shown to reduce school nurse visits and reduce behavioral issues, anxiety and depression [2]. Participation in school meals also improves academic performance, including improving attendance and test scores [2]. These benefits are carried into adulthood as well [2].
As an added benefit, this is not only good for students but for schools as well. “With improved test scores, schools can gain more funding from the state government, which can be used to supply and maintain classroom equipment needed to educate the next generation of students” [3].
As you can see, improving child nutrition has long-lasting effects, supporting children well into adulthood. It helps our kids, their families, and our communities. We must work together to build a society where no one goes hungry.
Sources
- Anderson, Michael, Gallagher, Justin, Ritchie, Elizabeth (2017), The Quality of School Lunch Affects Students’ Academic Performance, The Brookings Institute
- School Meals are Essential for Student Health and Learning, Food Research & Action Center
- Guenther, Angela; Uy, Marc; Marino, Regina; Wirthlin, Rachel.Incorporating Nutrition Education into Minneapolis Schools, University of Minnesota Twin Cities