Governmental Interventions to Provide Nutrition to Children
- Katelyn McLaughlin
- Dec 4, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 7, 2020
By: Kate McLaughlin
The US government and governmental organization across the world realize the important of child nutrition and have introduced countless interventions to encourage organizations to implement nutritious meal programs. The programs listed below are an important part of encouraging and maintaining child nutrition across the USA. Millions of Americans rely on these programs every day and it is important we continue, as a nation, to fund and support these child nutrition programs.
Below is a short description, taken from the USDA website, of some of these governmental interventions that have been introduced or managed by our US Department of Agriculture.
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National School Lunch Program: The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers. CACFP also provides reimbursements for meals served to children and youth participating in afterschool care programs, children residing in emergency shelters, adults over the age of 60 or living with a disability and enrolled in day care facilities. CACFP contributes to the wellness, healthy growth, and development of young children and adults in the United States.
School Breakfast Program: The School Breakfast Program (SBP) provides reimbursement to states to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions. The Food and Nutrition Service administers the SBP at the federal level. State education agencies administer the SBP at the state level, and local school food authorities operate the program in schools.
Special Milk Program: The Special Milk Program (SMP) provides milk to children in schools and childcare institutions who do not participate in other federal meal service programs. The program reimburses schools for the milk they serve.
Summer Food Service Program: The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally-funded, state-administered program. SFSP reimburses program operators who serve free healthy meals and snacks to children and teens in low-income areas.
Team Nutrition: Team Nutrition is an initiative of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to support the child nutrition programs through training and technical assistance for foodservice, nutrition education for children and their caregivers, and school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity.
Community Food Systems: The Office of Community Food Systems helps child nutrition program operators incorporate local foods in the National School Lunch Program and its associated programs, as well as the Summer Food Service Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program. In addition, OCFS staff works with tribal communities to respond to their desire to better incorporate traditional foods into our meal programs. OCFS accomplishes this through grant making, training and technical assistance and research.
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