Please sign on to this letter to the Members of the New York State Congressional Delegation.
 
Only New York State organizations (local and statewide) can be listed.  We will continue to accept sign-ons for as long as possible.

To: Members of the New York State Congressional Delegation

A Letter in Opposition to the Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016 (H.R. 5003)
We are writing to request that you oppose the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education’s bill reauthorizing the child nutrition programs, the “Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016” (H.R. 5003). The bill contains numerous provisions that would roll back years of progress. Large numbers of low-income children would no longer be able to access the nutritious meals they need for their health and learning, and the meals children could still obtain would be less healthy. More than 930,000 children in New York live with food insecurity; we can’t afford to weaken their nutritional safety net.

Chairman Rokita’s bill significantly weakens the Community Eligibility Provision, a federal option in its second year of nationwide implementation that reduces administrative work and increases school lunch and breakfast access in high-poverty schools. The bill proposes to substantially reduce the number of high-poverty schools eligible to implement community eligibility. In New York State, the bill would end the program for 427 schools currently participating. An additional 775 schools would no longer be eligible to participate in the future. Nationwide, the bill would end the program for approximately 7,000 of the 18,000 schools currently participating and would negate eligibility for an additional 11,000 high poverty schools. 

Additionally, the bill dramatically increases the verification requirements on school meal applications in ways that inevitably would cause eligible students to lose access to free or reduced-price school meals. Under the proposal, thousands of school districts would be required to verify a significant number of applications, creating burdens for schools and families. A disproportionate number of the most vulnerable families, such as those who are homeless, migrant, immigrant or have limited English proficiency, would be particularly likely to fall through the cracks and lose access to school meals even though they are eligible.

Furthermore, unlike the carefully negotiated bipartisan Senate compromise on school nutrition standards, the House bill would significantly weaken evidence-based school nutrition standards for meals, snacks and beverages (Smart Snacks). Nearly all participating school districts (98.5 percent) are meeting the updated school lunch nutrition standards, providing mostly whole grains, less salt, more fruits and vegetables, and healthier snacks and beverages. Harvard University researchers recently concluded that the improvement in nutrition standards for school meals, snacks, and beverages is “one of the most important national obesity prevention policy achievements in recent decades.” These improvements are estimated to prevent more than two million cases of childhood obesity and save up to $792 million in health-care related costs over 10 years.

The House bill also inadequately invests in summer food programs. In New York, less than 30 percent of children who eat free or reduced-price school lunch are participating in the summer meals program, exacerbating the nutritional gap faced by many kids during the summer months.
Finally, for children in child care, the bill does not reflect the important provision included in the Senate bill that allows child care centers and homes the option of serving an additional snack to children in care for long hours.

We strongly urge you to oppose this bill. As leaders in improving children’s nutrition, education, health and well-being, our organizations do not believe that this bill will benefit the millions of children in need of nutritional support from these programs. Instead, this bill will reduce access to the programs, significantly increase child food insecurity, and harm children’s nutrition and health, exacerbating the problems the programs are designed to address.

Question Title

* Sincerely,

Question Title

* I certify that I am authorized to sign for my organization.

T