The National School Lunch Act, enacted in 1946, is the cornerstone of food delivery legislation that feeds nearly 25 million American schoolchildren each day. Since then there have been numerous new acts and amendments that have further enlarged the scope of child nutrition. These laws are compiled to provide readily available information on the…

Attempts to dispel myths about the U.S.D.A. Commodity program. (JF)

Attempts to dispel myths about the U.S.D.A. Commodity program. (JF)

The "No Child Left Behind Act" (NCLB, 2001) required schools to make adequate yearly progress, use disaggregated data in planning, and employ highly-qualified teachers. The school leaders became those responsible for the success of the school. In South Carolina the Department of Education has recently sought to address adequacy needs…

The transcript of a congressional hearing on a proposed bill to extend and amend the National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 is provided in this document. Representatives of the Food and Nutrition Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, testified that the proposed bill runs counter to the policies of the Reagan…

Today the National School Lunch Program is serving nutritious meals to nearly 24 million children in about 90,000 schools. Among the measures taken to improve the program are food procurement workshops, recipe card testing, and improvement in commodity purchase selections for schools. (MLF)

A staff member of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service summarizes the history, cost, and benefits of the federal school nutrition programs and explains that schools must now verify information on a small sample of applications for free and reduced-price meals. (MLF)

An update on the National School Lunch Program includes a list of some of the changes and innovations in types, quality, and packaging of commodity products provided to schools. (MLF)

Published annually since 1997, Newark Kids Count tracks key trends in child health and well-being in New Jersey's largest city with the latest statistics available. Newark Kids Count includes the latest statistics, along with five-year trend data, in the following areas: population and demographics, family economic security, affordable housing,…

Leaders of programs serving rural America need to act strategically to ensure the long-term success of their initiatives. This strategy brief describes the funding landscape of rural programs and highlights the unique challenges confronting rural program leaders. It describes the different public and private resources that can support…

This resource guide puts forth 15 ideas for actions in food stamp and other child nutrition programs that states, schools, and cities can implement to feed more hungry low-income residents, especially children, and provide a direct federal economic stimulus for the state and its businesses. The guide asserts that states risk accelerating a…

"Kids Count in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. "Kids Count in Colorado!" informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as…