Back to School 2026

School and afterschool meals help reduce hunger, support learning, and ease financial pressure on families. Visit FRAC’s Back to School hub to learn how these critical programs support children and families, and what you can do to protect them.

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Policy Decisions Drive Dramatic Decline in SNAP Participation

The budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1) slashed SNAP, our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, by $187 billion and introduced harmful provisions. One year later, over 5 million people, including households with children, people with disabilities, older adults, and veterans, have lost access to the nutrition they need at a time when gas and grocery costs are skyrocketing. 

FRAC is tracking the impact nationwide: 

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Tell Your Senators: Support Families and Farmers, Restore Critical SNAP Funding

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Urge Your Members of Congress to Cosponsor the Universal School Meals Program Act

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Tell Congress to Stop the Reorganization of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service

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Banner image showing children eating outside at a table in a school setting that reads: "Donate to FRAC"
Polaroid-style image that reads: "This money is supposed to supplement my food budget, but it is really all of my food budget because my income barely covers my rent. Because of SNAP, we are not starving."

FRAC Chat

Sep 17, 2026
Kelsey Boone, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst; Erin Hysom, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst

School meal applications and household income forms have long been the method of connecting children to nutrition assistance and identifying the supports school districts need to function. The expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and the growing adoption of Healthy School Meals for All (HSMFA) policies have reduced the need for households to submit applications for free school meals. However, these forms remain an important tool for connecting families to additional nutrition benefits, such as the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (Summer EBT), and for ensuring that schools receive critical education funding and other essential resources that support student success.

Sep 10, 2026
Gina Plata-Nino, JD, SNAP Director and Dory Thrasher, PhD, Senior SNAP Policy Analyst

The budget reconciliation law, H.R. 1, enacted in July 2025, made harmful changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including expanding who is subject to a three-month time limit. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expected to publish a proposed rule codifying the changes to work requirements for time-limited SNAP recipients.

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