President Biden could have help on the way via free school meals and his American Families Plan.
What is your number one worry right now? If you have kids, it’s probably their health. But their health may be less than optimal if they can’t get the nutrition they need.
What could stop a parent from providing this necessity? A lack of income. And since the coronavirus pandemic hit, many more households than usual are suffering from a lack of income, which negatively impacts their children’s nutrition.
The Newly Announced American Families Plan
If you’ve turned on the news lately, you may have heard the “American Families Plan” mentioned frequently. That’s because the President just announced it, and as you can tell by its name, the plan focuses on getting families back on their feet.
The American Families Plan looks to improve the quality of life for low-income households in many ways. And while things like education and lowered taxes are essential, there’s nothing more essential than our children’s nutrition.
The American Families Plan’s Nutritional Highlights
Permanent Summer Pandemic-EBT
The coronavirus pandemic led to historical job and income loss. Families that were already toughing it out found themselves struggling even more once the pandemic hit. To make things worse, schools had to close to keep coronavirus infections from spreading in close quarters. And once those schools shuttered, many parents wondered how they would feed their kids breakfast and lunch.
Many children from low-income families rely on free and reduced-price breakfasts and lunches at school.
But once schools closed, they had to rely on getting their meals from home.
To ensure children from such households didn’t starve, Summer Pandemic-EBT stepped in to fill that gap. It did so by funding parents so they could buy food for their children to replace school meals. And while the coronavirus triggered this program, President Biden hopes to make it permanent with a $25 billion investment.
A whopping 29 million children could enjoy nutritious meals during the summer months if the American Families Plan gets approved. Such news would be huge, as studies have shown that the Pandemic-EBT program boosted children’s nutrition while decreasing food insecurity.
More Nutritious Meals Through Incentivization
Knowing that your children can enjoy complimentary meals is excellent. But what about the nutritional content? You don’t want your kids to eat just anything, as meals lacking nutrition could negatively impact their health now and in the future. That’s why the American Families Plan offers incentives to ensure schools make their meals as nutritious as possible.
Through a $1 billion investment, Biden hopes that schools will exceed nutritional standards when making their menus. In return, they could receive a higher meal reimbursement.
Free School Meals for an Extra 9.3 Million Children
President Biden wants to make school meals more accessible by reducing eligibility thresholds. If successful, the Community Eligibility Provision could feed 9.3 million more mouths through a $17 billion investment.
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