By Rebecca Ullrich, CLASP, March 23, 2020
Practically overnight, the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically altered the daily lives of our nation’s children and families. While everyone—regardless of race, age, gender, or socioeconomic status—is experiencing the pandemic’s effects, the long-term fallout won’t affect all of us equally. Families with low incomes, communities of color, immigrant families, women, the elderly, and people with disabilities who have long been economically marginalized are already losing—or at great risk of losing—income, employment, and housing. We’re seeing widespread closures of schools and early care and education programs at the same time families are facing increasing economic uncertainty. Many parents and caregivers are wondering how they’ll be able to keep food on the table as a result.
Millions of children depend on school or child care for healthy meals during the day. In fiscal year 2019, roughly 4.5 million children in child care centers and family child care homes received healthy meals and snacks each day through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). On an average day, more than 30 million children receive free or reduced price lunches through the National School Lunch program.
Federal policymakers are working on a series of economic stimulus bills to mitigate the long-term health and economic harm of the coronavirus on families across the country. One of those bills— the Families First Coronavirus Response Act or “Families First”—became law on Wednesday, March 18. Families First includes several important provisions that will help parents and caregivers keep food on the table during this crisis...
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