Replacing the maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) allotment with a benefit that reflects the real cost of a healthy diet, expanding the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) eligibility to age 6, and maintaining the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) may effectively address the needs of many families who experience food insecurity and increase access to healthy options, according to a new policy brief released by Children’s HealthWatch, a nonpartisan network of pediatricians and public health researchers headquartered at Boston Medical Center with research sites in Arkansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

“Hunger is especially devastating for children who need proper nutrition to develop physically and mentally in the first three years of life”, said John Cook, PhD, MAEd, Children’s HealthWatch co-principal investigator. “Unfortunately, many families who receive assistance are still having to choose between quantity and quality of food.”

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