Resource Library

FRAC has developed a communications toolkit to help spread the word about the promising growth in afterschool nutrition participation. The toolkit includes our new report, our national news release, a sample news release, sample social media, and graphics.

USDA’s proposed rule on SNAP Standardization of State Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances (SUAs) would cut program benefits by a total of $4.5 billion over five years. Use these graphics to spread the word on how this cut would result from changes in how states take households’ utility costs into account in determining the amount of SNAP benefits for which they qualify.

This guide provides strategies to boost school meals consumption. School districts can follow the practices implemented by their peers and highlighted throughout this report to help maximize student participation and consumption in school meals.

FRAC’s report on participation data in the Afterschool Nutrition Programs measures how many children had access to afterschool suppers and snacks in October 2018, nationally and in each state. The Afterschool Supper Program served 1.3 million children on an average weekday in October 2018, an increase of 10.4 percent, or 126,393 children, from October 2017.

States can elect to stagger issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits throughout the month, instead of issuing SNAP benefits for all SNAP households on the same day or couple of days of the month. Benefits are still issued once a month for each household, but not all households receive their benefits on the first day or couple of days of the month.

States can adopt a simplified method of estimating self-employment costs that are deducted from earned income in the SNAP benefit calculation. Most states establish a flat deduction of gross income, typically between 40 percent and 50 percent.

The Access to Healthy Food for Young Children Act of 2021, introduced by Senator Robert Casey (D-PA), would strengthen and expand the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The bill proposes many positive changes that would yield myriad benefits to the children and families that depend on CACFP for the healthy meals and snacks that the program provides. Includes information on the What is the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and specific information on what the bill proposes.

State agencies, sponsors, advocates and other key stakeholders can use FRAC’s worksheet to evaluate current state policies, and identify opportunities for reducing paperwork requirements and barriers to participation.

Recent FRAC CACFP Comment Letters: Regulatory and Administrative Actions, Nutrition Policy Comment Letters (CACFP Related)

State Profiles of Infants and Toddlers – Hunger, Poverty, Health, and the Federal Nutrition Programs

This interactive map provides household food insecurity rates, by state, on average over 2016-2018. Scroll over a state to view the percent of households struggling with food insecurity or very low food security. States with at least 33% of their population living in rural areas are indicated with a triangle pattern.

This interactive map provides household food insecurity rates, by state, on average over 2016-2018.

The No Shame at School Act of 2022 (S. 4602/H.R. 8477), introduced by Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), would create a multifaceted approach to address school meals debt that would provide protections for students and families, support school nutrition finances, and help ensure that children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals are certified to receive them.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as the first line of defense against hunger. The Trump administration’s proposed rule – Revision of Categorical Eligibility in SNAP – would take away SNAP’s critical food assistance from 3 million people who are struggling to make ends meet, and could prevent 500,000 children from receiving healthy school meals.

Spread the word on social media using these graphics:

The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) urges Congress to enact legislation that supports and strengthens program access and participation by underserved children and communities; ensures nutrition quality; and simplifies program administration and operation. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of the federal child nutrition programs, and a number of policy improvements that were made during COVID-19 should be implemented permanently by Congress. Legislation should also maintain and build upon the critical gains made in the last child nutrition reauthorization. In order to achieve these goals, FRAC asks Congress to make the following improvements to the child nutrition programs.