Child Nutrition Programs

Child Nutrition Programs Briefing Room National School Lunch Program School Breakfast Program Child and Adult Care Food Program Summer Food Service Program USDA Fruit and Vegetable Program Recommended Readings

Overview

USDA administers four major domestic food assistance programs that exclusively or primarily serve the nutritional needs of children:

• National School Lunch Program
• School Breakfast Program
• Child and Adult Care Food Program
• Summer Food Service Program.

In addition, the new Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program provides fruit and vegetable snacks free to children in selected schools. 

The child nutrition programs work individually and in concert to provide a nutritional safety net for children and together account for one-quarter of USDA's domestic food and nutrition assistance outlays. In fiscal 2007, USDA spent $13.6 billion on these programs. The Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program at ERS studies and evaluates child nutrition programs and other nutrition programs, including the Food Stamp Program and WIC.

Features

Balancing Nutrition, Participation, and Cost in the National School Lunch Program—Schools face the dual constraints of meeting nutritional requirements and covering costs. At the same time, meals must appeal to children so that they will actually eat the foods that are served. This article explores how schools across America respond to these challenges (September 2008).

The National School Lunch Program: Background, Trends, and Issues—The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is the Nation's second largest food and nutrition assistance program. This report provides background information on the NSLP, including historical trends and participant characteristics. It also addresses steps being taken to meet challenges facing program administrators, including tradeoffs between program access and program integrity (July 2008).

Profiles of Participants in the National School Lunch Program: Data From Two National Surveys—The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves more than 29 million children each day—and of these, almost half live in households with incomes between 0-185 percent of poverty, according to this report. This study reports new estimates of NSLP participant characteristics using two national surveys: the 2001 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). (August 2006). 

Evaluation of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program: Report to Congress—ERS reviewed a congressionally funded pilot program to improve fruit and vegetable consumption among the Nation's schoolchildren. The program funded $6 million for the 2002-03 school year to supply fruits and vegetables free to children in 100 schools in 4 States (25 schools each in Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, and Michigan) and 7 schools on the Zuni Pueblo Indian Reservation in New Mexico. Most participating schools considered the pilot program to be very successful; it has since been made a permanent program. A two-page Research Brief on ERS's evaluation of the program is also available. (May 2003).

Recommended Readings

Nutrition and Health Characteristics of Low-Income Populations: Volume III, School-Age Children—Data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-III), conducted in 1988-94, were used to compare the nutrition and health characteristics of the Nation's school-age children—boys and girls ages 5-18. Three groups of children were compared based on household income: lowest income (income at or below 130 percent of poverty), low income (income between 131 and 185 percent of poverty), and higher income (income above 185 percent of poverty). This research was designed to establish a baseline for monitoring the nutrition and health characteristics of school-age children over time, particularly those in low-and lowest income groups. (December 2004).

Plate Waste in School Nutrition Programs: Final Report to Congress—This report examines the level of plate waste in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and strategies to reduce plate waste. Strategies examined include using a meal service provision allowing students to choose some but not all of the required meal items (“offer vs. serve”), rescheduling lunch and recess, improving the quality of food, tailoring serving sizes to student appetites, and providing nutrition education. (March 2002).

Food Assistance Research Brief—Child Nutrition Programs—This group of briefs looks at issues currently facing USDA child nutrition programs. Topics include the following:

• A Healthy School Meal Environment
• Competitive Foods: Soft Drinks vs. Milk
• Reimbursement Tiering Improves Targeting But Decreases Participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
• Tiering Increases CACFP Sponsors’ Administrative Tasks
• Importance of Child Nutrition Programs to Agriculture.

See all recommended readings...

Recommended Data Products

FANRP Project Database—Provides details on FANRP research projects, both past and ongoing, including the project's objective, funding level, researchers, and expected completion date. See projects under Child and Adult Care, School Lunch and Breakfast, and Summer Food Service.

National Data Sets Useful in Child Nutrition Research—Brief descriptions of national surveys and data sets with links to their sources. Surveys and data sets relevant to child nutrition include: the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B); the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K); Food and Nutrition Service Program Operations Data; the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF); the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID); the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP); the Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD); and the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Newsletters

Sign Up Now—Keep current on activities in the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP) by subscribing to our free e-mail notification service. You will receive announcements of our latest reports and other news. You can also get the latest on other activities at ERS. To become a subscriber, please submit this short application form. Be sure to check “Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs” under Particular Topic Areas to receive information about FANRP activities.

Related Links

Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC)—One of several information centers at USDA's National Agricultural Library. Access information on the Child and Adult Care Food Program at the Child Care Nutrition Resource System and information on the school meal programs at the Healthy School Meals Resource System.

Food and Nutrition Service—Administers USDA's food assistance programs and provides program guidelines, data, and research on the child nutrition programs.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—Summary of results from a Mississippi Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program.

Images Gallery

Food and nutrition assistance programs at a glance—Charts, tables, and data on food stamps, WIC, child nutrition programs, and more.