Children’s HealthWatch Research, Policy, and Communications Coordinator, Allison Bovell was featured as a guest blogger on Health Policy Hub.
Policy Prescriptions for Federal Child Nutrition Programs to Improve Child Health
Children need healthy food to learn, grow and thrive. Unfortunately, our researchers and pediatricians at Children’s HealthWatch encounter families every day struggling to afford enough food for all family members to lead active, healthy lives – a condition known as food insecurity. The impact of food insecurity, even at its mildest levels, is written on the bodies and brains of young children with compromised health and development.
Solutions to food insecurity are within reach through the comprehensive set of food and nutrition programs available in the U.S. We at Children’s HealthWatch often compare food assistance programs to vaccines – they keep children healthy, decrease their risk for developmental delays, and benefit whole communities by ensuring parents can go to work because their children are healthy and focused in school supported by the nutrition necessary for learning.