childhoodnutrition_reauthorization_12016

THECHILDNUTRITIONANDWOMEN,INFANTS,
ANDCHILDREN(WIC)REAUTHORIZATIONACT
FACTSHEET|JANUARY20,2016
www.nclr.org
AN ESSENTIAL INVESTMENT IN
THE HEALTH OF LATINO CHILDREN
INTRODUCTION
Congress has a critical opportunity to invest
in the health and well-being of millions of
low-income children and families. The Child
Nutrition and Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC) Reauthorization Act can maintain,
and even strengthen, critical child nutrition
programs authorized under the Healthy
Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. This law is
particularly important for Latino children and
their opportunity and ability to lead healthy,
productive lives.
Demographic and Health Trends
Facing Latino Children Highlight
Need for Strong and Accessible
Child Nutrition Programs
Latino children are a growing share of
the child population and face increasing
inequities in terms of healthy food access
and instances of chronic health conditions.
• There are currently over 17.5 million
Hispanic children in the U.S, representing
one in every four children.1
• Hispanic children are the fastest-growing
segment of the child population in this
country and are expected to represent
nearly one in three children by 2050.2
• By 2030, Latino children are projected
to make up 44% of all poor children if
present trends continue.3
• Latino families are more likely than the
overall population to live in areas where
access to nutritious, affordable food is
limited or nonexistent.4
• 4.7 million Latino children are at risk of
going hungry.5
• Nearly 40% of Latino children are
overweight or obese, compared to just
28% of non-Hispanic White children.6
What role do federal nutrition
programs play in the health and
well-being of Latino children
and families?
Since 1946, federal nutrition programs
have increased children’s access to healthy,
affordable food choices. These programs
are especially important in easing the
burden of hunger and malnutrition for
millions of Latino children and families, as
evidenced by high participation rates in
programs such as free and reduced-price
school lunch, where Latinos account for
one in every three recipients.
Supplemental Program for Women, Infants,
and Children (WIC)
WIC provides infants and young children
access to the nutritious foods they need to
gain a healthy start in life.
THECHILDNUTRITIONANDWOMEN,INFANTS,AND
CHILDREN(WIC)REAUTHORIZATIONACT
www.nclr.org
AN ESSENTIAL INVESTMENT
IN FOR THE HEALTH OF
LATINO CHILDREN
INTRODUCTION
Congress has a critical opportunity to invest
in the health and well-being of millions of
low-income children and families. The Child
Nutrition and Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC) Reauthorization Act can maintain,
and even strengthen, critical child nutrition
programs authorized under the Healthy
Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. This law is
particularly important for Latino children and
their opportunity and ability to lead healthy,
productive lives.
Demographic and Health Trends Facing
Latino Children Highlight Need for Strong
and Accessible Child Nutrition Programs
Latino children are a growing share of
the child population and face increasing
inequities in terms of healthy food access
and instances of chronic health conditions.
• There are currently over 17.5 million
Hispanic children in the U.S, representing
one in every four children.1
• Hispanic children are the fastest-growing
segment of the child population in this
country and are expected to represent
nearly one in three children by 2050.2
• By 2030, Latino children are projected
to make up 44% of all poor children if
present trends continue.3
• Latino families are more likely than the
overall population to live in areas where
access to nutritious, affordable food is
limited or nonexistent.4
• 4.7 million Latino children are at risk of
going hungry.5
• Nearly 40% of Latino children are
overweight or obese, compared to just
28% of non-Hispanic White children.6
What role do federal nutrition programs
play in the health and well-being of
Latino children and families?
Since 1946, federal nutrition programs
have increased children’s access to healthy,
affordable food choices. These programs
are especially important in easing the
burden of hunger and malnutrition for
millions of Latino children and families, as
evidenced by high participation rates in
programs such as free and reduced-price
school lunch, where Latinos account for
one in every three recipients.
Supplemental Program for Women, Infants,
and Children (WIC)
WIC provides infants and young children
access to the nutritious foods they need to
gain a healthy start in life.

2
AN ESSENTIAL INVESTMENT IN THE HEALTH OF LATINO CHILDREN
• More than four million Latino women and
children participate in WIC, accounting for over
40% of participants7
• In 2012, over half (57%) of all Latino children
under age five were enrolled in WIC.8
• Hispanic children in families receiving WIC
benefits are more likely to have a healthy
height and weight compared to eligible
children not receiving WIC services.9
• A study of WIC participants (about 30%
were Hispanic) found that accessing WIC
services reduced hunger and household
food insecurity among pregnant women and
children over time.10
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
CACFP provides nutritious meals and snacks for
preschool-aged children and children in after-
school programs. This program is critical for
Latino children aged two to five, who face high
rates of overweight (30%) and obesity (17%), a
rate twice the national average.11
• Latinos account for 30% of four-year-olds
in the CACFP program, demonstrating its
importance for preschool-aged Latino children.
(Latinos make up 20% of the overall child
population under age five).12
• Children in CACFP receive meals with higher
nutritional value than those in comparable
programs that do not participate.13
• Low-income toddlers and preschool-aged
children enrolled in the program are more
likely to have a healthy weight for their age
than their peers in child care with meals
supplied from home.14
School Meals Programs
School meals programs, including the National
School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast
Program, provide nutritious meals for 31 million
children every day. Millions of Latino children in
families struggling with hunger count on access
to nutritious meals at school.
• Children living in households that struggle
with hunger consume 26% of their calories
during school meals compared to just 16%
for other children.15
• 24% of the 31 million kids who participate in
the school lunch program are Latino.16 17
• 32% of the 21 million kids who receive a free
or reduced-price lunch are Latino.18 19
• Latinos are more likely than White, non-
Hispanic kids to participate in the School
Breakfast Program.20
• Research shows that children receiving free and
reduced-price lunches in states with stronger
nutrition standards face less risk of obesity than
those in states with weaker policies.21
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
The Summer Food Service Program provides
meals and snacks to low-income children in
needy areas, providing a critical buffer against
hunger for Latino children when school lets out for
the summer.
• Approximately 800,000 Latino children
participated in SFSP in July 2014.22
• Research shows that greater accessibility to a
SFSP site significantly reduces the likelihood of
household food insecurity. 23
What other tools are available
for schools to shape healthier
environments for Latino children?
Latino children gain from current policies that help
shape a healthier environment throughout the
school day, including improved access to water
and healthy snacks.
Smart Snacks in School
The Smart Snacks in School policy improves
nutrition standards for all food and drinks available
during the school day outside of school meals.
These standards provide healthier a la carte,
vending machine, and school store items.

3
• Latino children have greater exposure to
snacks outside of school meals and are more
likely to consume unhealthy snack items in
school compared to White children.24
• Latino children are twice as likely as White
students to buy from a vending machine,
when available.25
• Strong laws regulating nutrition content for
school snack food and drinks are associated
with reduced rates of childhood obesity
and overweight.26
Water Access in Local School Wellness Policies
Local school wellness policies promote greater
access to water throughout the school day,
as part of a broader effort to engage local
communities to improve student health and
well-being.
• Latino children drink more sugar-sweetened
beverages, and have less access to water
than other children, increasing the risk
of obesity.27 28
• Research demonstrates that the availability
and promotion of free water at school can
increase water consumption.29
• Replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with
water and non-fat milk at school can reduce
children’s weight by 2–2.5%, therefore reducing
instances of obesity and overweight.30
• Consuming a sufficient amount of water every
day has been linked to improved classroom
focus and academic performance.31
Investments in strong federal nutrition programs
provide an opportunity for millions of children,
including Latino children, to enjoy a bright future
with good health.

4
AT A GLANCE
Programs Covered under the Child
Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act
This Act authorizes all nine of the federal
child nutrition programs, which are critical
to the health and well-being of millions of
Americans, including many Latino children
and families.
School Meals Programs
National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
Provides lunches at school for 31
million pre-K–12 students. Low-income
children qualify for free and reduced-
price lunches. Approximately seven
million Latino children receive free and
reduced price lunch.32
School Breakfast Program
Provides breakfast at school for nearly
10 million pre-K–12 students. Low-
income children qualify for free and
reduced-price breakfast. Latinos are
more likely than White, non-Hispanic
kids to participate in the School
Breakfast Program.33
Child Nutrition Programs
Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC)
Provides nutrition assistance to
pregnant women and young children.
Latino families account for more than
40% of participants.34
WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
Issues coupons for WIC participants to
buy fresh, nutritious, locally grown fruits
and vegetables at farmers’ markets
and roadside stands. In 2014, 1.6
million WIC participants received these
additional benefits.35
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
Provides free fresh fruit and vegetable
snacks to elementary school students
in schools. Latino students who
participate in this program consume
more fruits and vegetables than those
who do not.36
Special Milk Program
Subsidizes milk served in schools
that do not participate in the school
meal programs.
Child and Adult Care Food
Program (CACFP)
Subsidizes meals and snacks served
in early childhood, day care and after
school settings, at participating non-
residential child care centers, and family
day care homes. The program mostly
serves pre-school-aged children, and
Latino children account for 30% of four-
year-old participants.37
Afterschool Snacks and Meals
Provides federal funds to private
nonprofits and public organizations
(including schools) to serve nutritious
supper and snacks for school-age
children in afterschool settings. 66% of
Latino parents say that the availability
of healthy meals and snacks is a major
factor in choosing an afterschool
program for their children. 38 39
Summer Food Service Program
Provides free meals and snacks during
the summer months at schools,
community centers, camps and parks.
This program is available in areas where
at least 50% of children are eligible
for a free or reduced-price lunch. The
program served approximately 800,000
Latino children overall on an average
day in July 2014.40 41
Source: NCLR analysis of select child nutrition programs.

5
Early Childhood Research Quarterly 28(2) (accessed
October 2015).
13 Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
Washington, D.C.: Food Research and Action Center.
http://frac.org/newsite/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/
cncacfp.pdf (accessed September 2015).
14 Christine Bender, et al. 2015. How the Child and
Adult Care Food Program Improves Early Childhood
Education. Washington, D.C.: Center for American
Progress, https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-
content/uploads/2015/06/CACFP-report-6.10.pdf
(accessed January 2015).
15 Elizabeth Potamites and Anne Gordon, Children’s Food
Security and Intakes from School Meals: Final Report
(Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research,
2010), http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/42320/PDF
(accessed May 2015).
16 Katherine Rolston, et al. 2008. The National School
Lunch Program: Background, Trends, and Issues.
Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Economic Research Service, http://www.ers.usda.gov/
media/205594/err61_1_.pdf (accessed May 2015).
17 FRAC Facts: National School Lunch Program.
Washington, D.C.: Food Research and Action Center.
18 Constance Newman and Katherine Ralston, “Profiles
of Participants in the National School Lunch Program”
Economic Information Bulletin 17. U.S. Department of
Agriculture. Alexandria, VA, 2006, www.ers.usda.gov/
publications/eib17/eib17.pdf (accessed March 2015)
19 Minerva Delgado, et al. 2015. Profiles of Latino Health:
Hispanic Participation in School Nutrition Programs.
Washington, D.C.: National Council of La Raza.
20 Student Participation in the National School Lunch
and School Breakfast Programs. Alexandria, VA: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.
21 Daniel Taber et al. 2013. “Association between State
Laws Governing School Meal Nutrition Content
and Student Weight Status: Implications for New
USDA School Meal Standards.” JAMA Pediatrics
167 (6) http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.
aspx?articleid=1675659 (accessed September 2015).
22 NCLR Calculation using Anne Gordon et al. 2003.
Feeding Low-Income Children when School is Out—
The Summer Food Service Program: Final Report: U.S.
Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1487311/efan03001.
pdf (accessed October 2015). This assessment
estimated that Hispanics accounted for 27% of
participants in the program.
Endnotes
1 David Murphey, Lina Guzman, and Alicia Torres,
“America’s Hispanic Children: Gaining Ground,
Looking Forward” (Bethesda, MD: Child Trends,
2014), http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/
uploads/2014/09/2014-38AmericaHispanicChildren.
pdf (accessed May 2015).
2 U.S. Census Bureau, America’s Children in Brief:
Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2014, www.
childstats.gov/americaschildren/tables/pop3.asp
3 Mark Mather, Patricia Foxen. 2010. America’s Future:
Latino Child Well-Being in Numbers and Trends.
Washington, D.C.: National Council of La Raza,
http://publications.nclr.org/handle/123456789/1200
(accessed May 2015)
4 Katherine Rolston, et al. 2008. The National School
Lunch Program: Background, Trends, and Issues: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
5 Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Christian Gregory, and Anita
Singh. 2014. Household Food Security in United
States in 2013: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Economic Research Service (accessed May 2015).
6 Cynthia Ogden et al., 2014. “Prevalence of Childhood
and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012.”
311 (8) (accessed May 2015).
7 Bryan Johnson, et al. 2013. WIC Participant and
Program Characteristics 2012 Final Report. Alexandria,
VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition
Service, http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/
WICPC2012.pdf (accessed May 2015).
8 Ibid.
9 Elizabeth Metallinos-Katsaras et al., “A Longitudinal
Study of WIC Participation on Household Food
Insecurity,” Maternal and Child Health Journal 15, no.
5 (2011): 627–633, http://web.uri.edu/endhunger/
files/7_2011_Longitudinal-WIC-participation.pdf
10 Children’s Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program, The
Impact of Food Insecurity on the Development of Young
Low-Income Black and Latino Children (Washington,
DC: Joint Center for Political and Economic
Studies Health Policy Institute, 2006), http://www.
childrenshealthwatch.org/upload/resource/children_of_
color_5_06.pdf (accessed September 2015).
11 Minerva Delgado, et al. 2015. Profiles of Latino
Health: Trends in Obesity and Overweight Among
Latino Children. Washington, D.C.: National Council
of La Raza.
12 Sanders Korenman, et al. 2013 “The Child and Adult
Care Food Program and the Nutrition of Preschoolers,”

6
23 Miller, Daniel P. “If You Build It, Will They Come?
Access to the Summer Food Service Program and
Food Insecurity Among Low Income Households with
Children.” In Society for Social Work and Research
19th Annual Conference: The Social and Behavioral
Importance of Increased Longevity. Sswr, 2015.
24 Carolyn K. Beam, Amelie G. Ramirez, and Kipling J.
Gallion. 2013. Healthier School Snacks and Latino
Kids: Salud America! (accessed September 2015).
25 Ibid.
26 Daniel Taber et al. 2013. “Weight Status among
Adolescents in States that Govern Competitive Food
Nutrition Content.” Pediatrics 130 (3) http://pediatrics.
aappublications.org/content/130/3/437.full.pdf+html
(accessed September 2015).
27 Anisha Patel, Karla Hampton. 2011. “Encouraging
Consumption of Water in School and Child Care
Settings: Access, Challenges, and Strategies for
Improvement.” American Journal of Public Health 101
(8) (accessed September 2015).
28 Increasing Access to Safe Drinking Water in Schools
and Communities. 2015: American Heart Association.
http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@
wcm/@adv/documents/downloadable/ucm_475974.
pdf (accessed September 2015).
29 Patel AI, Bogart LM, Elliott MN, Lamb S, Uyeda KE,
Hawes-Dawson J, et al. Increasing the availability and
consumption of drinking water in middle schools: a
pilot study. Prev Chronic Dis. 2011;8(3):A60.
30 Ibid.
31 Euna Han, Lisa Powell. 2013. “Consumption Patterns
of Sugary Sweetened Beverages in the United States.”
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
113 (1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC3662243/ (accessed September 2015).
32 NCLR Calculation using Katherine Rolston, et al. 2008.
The National School Lunch Program: Background,
Trends, and Issues: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Economic Research Service, http://www.ers.usda.gov/
media/205594/err61_1_.pdf (accessed May 2015).
This assessment estimates 32% of free and reduced-
price school lunch recipients are Latino.
33 Student Participation in the National School Lunch
and School Breakfast Programs. Alexandria, VA: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.
34 Bryan Johnson, et al. 2013. WIC Participant and
Program Characteristics 2012 Final Report. Alexandria,
VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition
Service, http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/
WICPC2012.pdf (accessed May 2015).
35 WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. 2015: U.S.
Department of Agriculture http://www.fns.usda.gov/
sites/default/files/fmnp/WICFMNPFactSheet.pdf
(accessed January 2015).
36 Bartlett, S., Olsho, L., Klerman, J., et al. 2013.
Evaluation of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program:
Final Evaluation Report. Alexandria, VA: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service:
Abt Associates http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/
files/FFVP.pdf (accessed September 2015).
37 Sanders Korenman, et al. 2013 “The Child and Adult
Care Food Program and the Nutrition of Preschoolers,”
Early Childhood Research Quarterly 28(2) (accessed
October 2015).
38 Randy Alison Aussenberg. 2015. School Meals
Programs and Other USDA Child Nutrition Programs:
A Primer. Washington, D.C.: Congressional
Research Service.
39 America After 3PM: Afterschool Programs in
Demand. 2014: Afterschool Alliance http://www.
afterschoolalliance.org/documents/AA3PM-2014/
AA3PM_National_Report.pdf (accessed
September 2015)
40 Crystal FitzSimons et al. 2015. Hunger Doesn’t
Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report.
Washington, D.C.: Food Research and Action Center
http://frac.org/pdf/2015_summer_nutrition_report.pdf
(accessed September 2015).
41 NCLR Calculation using Anne Gordon et al. 2003.
Feeding Low-Income Children when School is Out—
The Summer Food Service Program: Final Report: U.S.
Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1487311/efan03001.
pdf (accessed October 2015). This assessment
estimated that Hispanics accounted for 27% of
participants in the program.

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