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Bonamici, Herrera Beutler Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Increase Access to Meals for Kids

November 16, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC [11/16/21] – Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA)introduced bipartisan legislation to make more nutritious meals and snacks available to children in care settings.

The Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act would strengthen and expand the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which currently serves 4.7 million low-income children in child care centers, Head Start and afterschool programs, homeless shelters, and other settings. It would allow an additional meal or snack to be served to children in care for a full day, and make it easier for early learning programs and child care providers to participate in the program. According to data from Feeding America, more than 15 million children in America experienced food insecurity in 2020. This legislation can help cover these gaps so more children and infants have the food that they need to thrive.

"It is unacceptable that millions of children across the U.S. are hungry, which affects their ability to learn and grow," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. "Children are more likely to succeed when they have a healthy start to life. Access to affordable child care and nutritious meals are essential to the health and economic vitality of working families. The Child and Adult Care Food Program is a powerful tool to reduce food insecurity and lower the costs of care, and we can make it even more effective by implementing the updates included in the Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act. This bipartisan legislation will help more kids access healthy meals by allowing for a third meal or snack to be served during the day and removing burdensome requirements for child care providers to participate."

"As rising inflation continues to increase the price of groceries and goods, it's important that children who already qualify for nutritious food programs can access them," said Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler. "That's why I'm pleased to introduce this bipartisan bill, the Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act, which will simplify the paperwork and bureaucracy associated with this program to ensure more kids can access nutritious food in Southwest Washington and across the country."

Since the late 1990s, CACFP has seen a persistent decrease in the number of family day care homes that participate. This decline in participation jeopardizes access to nutritious meals for children who spend time with child care providers. At the same time, the program currently authorizes only two meals each day, even though many working families rely on full-day child care and children are hungry at the end of the day. Additionally, many young children consistently access their healthiest meal through CACFP-participating caregivers.

The legislation is endorsed by the Food and Research Action Center (FRAC), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), National Women's Law Center, Center for Law and Social Policy, ZERO TO THREE, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Federation of Teachers, National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), Bipartisan Policy Center's Early Childhood Initiative, First Five Years Fund, National Education Association, Oregon Food Bank, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, and Service Employee International. More endorsements from national organizations can be found here. Statements of support can be found here.

"The Food Research & Action Center and nearly 800 other organizations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia strongly support the Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act, introduced by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler to help strengthen and expand access to nutritious meals for young children through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)," said Luis Guardia, President, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)."The bill proposes many positive improvements that will enhance the important role CACFP plays in improving the quality of child care programs, enhancing the nutrition of meals served, supporting small businesses, and making care more affordable for low-income working parents and other caregivers. The need to expand program reach is now more important than ever as communities continue to respond to the pandemic's impact on food security and child care."

A summary of the ways the Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act bolsters the Child and Adult Care Food Program can be found here. The text of the legislation can be found here.

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