Direct certification simplifies the process of certifying certain children for free school meals by eliminating the need for households to apply. The 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act required all local educations agencies (LEAs) to establish a system of direct certification by...

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance to more than 47 million low-income Americans every month. It aims to reduce hunger by facilitating beneficiaries’ access to enough food for a healthy, active lifestyle, otherwise known as "food security." Our study...

This report presents participation rate estimates that measure the effectiveness of SNAP from 2005 to 2007 and estimates participation rates for the “working poorâ€â€”those eligible for SNAP who live in households in which someone earned income from a job. It also provides details...

From 2000 to 2008, the average number of Food Stamp Program (FSP) participants rose by 65 percent because of increases in eligibility and participation. These changes occurred during a period that included declining national unemployment—the same period during which states were being...

This report provides information on the participation patterns of infants and children who were enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) from 2001 through 2003. Several aspects of participation were examined including at what age and under...

This article estimates the effect of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on children’s food security using data from the largest national survey of food security of SNAP participants to date. The study found children in households that had participated in SNAP for 6 months...

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides nutrient-dense foods, nutrition education, and referral to health care services for low-income pregnant women, postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five who are at nutritional risk. This study...

This report to Congress assesses the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals without the need for household applications by using data from other means-tested programs. At the start of the 2010-2011 school year, 1.9 million more children were...