Legislation would expand access to summer meals# Parenting - 为人父母
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The US Senate agriculture committee has voted to advance the Hunger Free
Summer for Kids Act. The legislation seeks to expand access to summer-meal
programs and grab-and-go options.
A change in the way California determines which students are eligible for
meal programs means far more kids this year will receive free lunch at
school.
There was a 32 percent increase in December to the number of California
students automatically enrolled in the federally funded free and reduced
meal program, California Department of Education officials announced.
The increase is due to big changes the state made in July.
Rather than relying on paperwork, officials now match CalFresh data -- that
’s the new name for food stamps – and other information about eligibility
for poverty programs with public school student enrollment information to
sign students up.
“We didn’t expand eligibility; this is just streamlining government so
kids who are entitled to the service can actually access it,” said L.A.-
area State Senator Holly Mitchell.
Mitchell is one of two state legislators who gathered education and social
service administrators last year to find ways to improve.
Mitchell said school lunch eligibility was denied if addresses didn’t match
, so officials found other ways to confirm a student’s address.
In L.A. County, the new methods led to more than 86,000 new students
automatically enrolled.
Educators believe that automatically enrolling students who are eligible for
free lunch programs is good for schools and good for students.
“So the moment that you are able to have children that have food and that
they don’t worry about being hungry,” said Hacienda-La Puente Unified
Superintendent Cynthia Parulan-Colfer, “then you have an opportunity to be
able to help the focus in the classroom and that’s only going to be able to
be beneficial in terms of increasing knowledge for our kids.”
The changes are part of a national trend to make it easier to make sure poor
kids are getting school meals.
Summer for Kids Act. The legislation seeks to expand access to summer-meal
programs and grab-and-go options.
A change in the way California determines which students are eligible for
meal programs means far more kids this year will receive free lunch at
school.
There was a 32 percent increase in December to the number of California
students automatically enrolled in the federally funded free and reduced
meal program, California Department of Education officials announced.
The increase is due to big changes the state made in July.
Rather than relying on paperwork, officials now match CalFresh data -- that
’s the new name for food stamps – and other information about eligibility
for poverty programs with public school student enrollment information to
sign students up.
“We didn’t expand eligibility; this is just streamlining government so
kids who are entitled to the service can actually access it,” said L.A.-
area State Senator Holly Mitchell.
Mitchell is one of two state legislators who gathered education and social
service administrators last year to find ways to improve.
Mitchell said school lunch eligibility was denied if addresses didn’t match
, so officials found other ways to confirm a student’s address.
In L.A. County, the new methods led to more than 86,000 new students
automatically enrolled.
Educators believe that automatically enrolling students who are eligible for
free lunch programs is good for schools and good for students.
“So the moment that you are able to have children that have food and that
they don’t worry about being hungry,” said Hacienda-La Puente Unified
Superintendent Cynthia Parulan-Colfer, “then you have an opportunity to be
able to help the focus in the classroom and that’s only going to be able to
be beneficial in terms of increasing knowledge for our kids.”
The changes are part of a national trend to make it easier to make sure poor
kids are getting school meals.
