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Child Nutrition Reauthorization--Public Comment Process

Please Comment to USDA by October 15th.

Through the 2009 reauthorization Congress will continue, modify, and, if we all work hard enough, considerably improve the school lunch and breakfast programs, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and WIC.

USDA is inviting written comments on reauthorization. The comments must be received by USDA on or before October 15, 2008. They can be sent by mail, fax or electronically. This is an important opportunity for you and your organization to provide recommendations on improving access and nutrition quality in the programs.

Based on FRAC's knowledge of the programs and process of gathering together recommendations from many of you, we have prepared a model letter. The letter is designed for you to be able to modify to fit to your priorities and to add more detailed recommendations if that suits your priorities. Where applicable, please offer examples-a reflection of community need, a personal story, an exemplary local program, a flaw in the reach or quality of the programs--from your state or city or neighborhood or organizational perspective that illustrates your point.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact the Food Research and Action Center at (202) 986-2200, Ellen Teller ext. 3013, Geri Henchy ext 3025, Crystal FitzSimons ext. 3006, Madeleine Levin ext. 3004.

**Please click the ''Send My Message!'' button once in order to avoid sending your comments multiple times

November 21, 2009

Subject:

Mr. Robert Eadie
Chief, Policy and Program Development Branch
Child Nutrition Division, FNS, USDA
3101 Park Center Drive, Room 640
Alexandria, VA 22302-1594

Dear Mr. Eadie:
Thank you for this opportunity to provide USDA with my recommendations for improving  access and nutrition quality in the school breakfast and lunch, summer nutrition, afterschool nutrition and child and adult care food programs, and WIC.  The following recommendations for the 2009 reauthorization, if adopted, would improve the programs considerably and give an important boost to children to all of America’s children.

Assure working families have access to nutritious food for their children in safe and nurturing environments in early childhood settings, after school and during the summer, by:

•reducing the current 50 percent area eligibility threshold that typically determines family child care, afterschool and summer nutrition funding, in order to serve more children desperately in need of these programs – tests in comparable programs (and in summer food in the past) have been 33 percent or 40 percent;

•dramatically revise or eliminate the burdensome CACFP means test for children in family child care homes and thereby open up access for low-income working families;

•fund aggressive outreach efforts to allow more eligible children to participate;

•make available suppers for school-aged children in afterschool programs in low-income areas in the same way that snacks now are available in such areas, in order to provide food and supervision as more parents work and commute long hours and hold non-traditional jobs, and programs run into the late afternoon and 
evening; and

•make available suppers as a third meal for preschool children in child care for more than eight hours (currently, CACFP will not provide reimbursement for three meals – only up to two meals and a snack).

Strengthen the key role child nutrition programs can play in supporting healthy eating habits, which help to prevent childhood obesity and other nutrition-related diseases, by:

•increasing participation in all of the programs in order to draw children into the healthier eating environments they provide and making provision of healthier foods more feasible through greater economies of scale;

•improving meal quality by updating the child care and school nutrition meal patterns and the WIC food package at regular intervals to insure that they stay current with nutrition science and best practice;

•providing funding to achieve an integrated and comprehensive nutrition education and promotion program through USDA’s Team Nutrition Networks;

•establishing rules for all foods sold in schools to assure that they contribute to the health and well-being 
of children;

•enhancing child nutrition program reimbursements to support all school and community-based providers, 
including summer, afterschool and child care providers and sponsors, in their efforts to provide healthy meals and snacks; and

•supporting integrated and comprehensive nutrition education and program promotion through USDA’s Team Nutrition Networks.

Maximize the value of good school nutrition, which is essential to health, to school improvement and to students’ educational success, by:

•expanding breakfast-for-all programs, especially in schools in lower-income communities, where all children can receive a healthy breakfast in the cafeteria or in the classroom at no charge;

•supplying grants for school districts to cover one-time equipment costs for breakfast programs; and

•making sure that school lunch and breakfast are as healthy as possible, served at reasonable times and with enough time for children to eat.

Cut red tape and clear the way to better co-ordination to allow more hungry and needy children access to much-needed nutrition programs by:

•improving direct certification for school meals through state data matching systems;

•expanding pilot programs that eliminate or reduce paper applications and rely more on electronic applications, or cross-certification with other programs and on alternative means (e.g., use of neighborhood or district-wide census data) to determine eligibility and reimbursement for schools and other providers;

•streamlining program operations, increasing flexibility, and maximizing technology and innovation to allow sponsoring organizations and providers to operate most effectively;

•restoring advance funds for sponsors and child care centers to cover program costs upfront; and

•easing the administrative burdens on schools, other public agencies and non-profit organizations that operate multiple child nutrition programs.

I appreciate USDA’s commitment to these programs and its solicitation of these public comments.

Sincerely Yours,

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