During the COVID health emergency, Congress removed a lot of red tape in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) school meals programs, and a new report suggested the program's success should be continued into the next school year.

Crystal FitzSimons, director of school and out-of-school-time programs for Food Research and Action Center, said waivers increased the number of fruits and vegetables kids consumed, eliminated school meal debt, made it easier for parents and guardians, and lowered administrative burdens for schools.

"Omaha Public Schools reported that being able to offer meals to all students at no charge reduced childhood hunger, supported academic achievement, eliminated stigma associated with school meals, and improved student behavior," FitzSimons outlined.

Nearly six out of 10 of the nation's large school districts surveyed said waivers helped improve racial equity, and 95% said it reduced child hunger. Waivers are set to expire June 30. Critics of free meals for all students have warned the program could lead to government dependency.

FitzSimons countered just like adults, kids need fuel to focus, concentrate and learn. She pointed to years of research showing children who have access to healthy meals do better in school, which makes it easier for them to land jobs as adults that pay enough to not require government assistance.

"We have public schools that provide textbooks and transportation to get kids to school," FitzSimons pointed out. "Making sure that kids who are in school for seven hours a day have that nutrition that they need is critical to ensuring their success as adults."

Omaha Public Schools reported significant operational challenges during the 2021-2022 school year. FitzSimons noted supply-chain disruptions, labor shortages and rising food costs are not likely to be fully resolved by the time schools reopen in August. She added extending USDA waivers will also help children catch up and get back on track.

"And making sure they are able to access a free school meal next school year is going to be really critical to help supporting overcoming the impact of the pandemic that we've seen on kids, on families, and also on schools," FitzSimons contended.

In eastern Kentucky, advocacy groups are expanding summer learning opportunities for families.

Isolation and learning loss plague many rural Kentucky kids once school lets out, and research shows children can lose up to 34% of what they learned during the prior school year during the summer.

Alissa Taylor, Kentucky state director of children's safety programs for Save the Children, said transportation is one of several barriers for rural kids.

"They don't have access to the resources, public services, and exposure to the arts, those type of things that other kids are getting during the summer," Taylor pointed out. "We know that sparks creativity, it encourages continued learning throughout the summer."

According to a 2019 Center for American Progress survey, 3 of 4 parents said they have had at least some difficulty finding child care during the summer.

Taylor noted Save the Children is offering around 60 summer opportunities in 19 eastern Kentucky counties, including full-day, four- to six-week camps for elementary-aged children.

"There's either bus transportation, or a gas-voucher program that's offered for families to get their kids to the camp," Taylor emphasized. "They're provided two meals a day. They're having fun, we know that they're learning while they're having fun, and they want to keep coming back."

She added the feedback from families has been positive, including one mother who said the summer programs allowed her to keep earning a paycheck during the summer.

"We know that jobs are really hard to come by," Taylor acknowledged. "The summer camp and her kid having something to do was an excellent way for those kids to continue learning and for her to stay employed."

More than half of survey respondents said costs for child care during the summer are a significant challenge.

Groups fighting for children's health are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers to require insurance companies to cover hearing aids and related services for kids.

Advocates want to see language in the budget trailer bill which would mandate the coverage.

Michelle Marciniak, co-chair and co-founder of the nonprofit Let California Kids Hear and the mother of a child with hearing loss, noted hearing aids can cost about $6,000 a pair and they need to be replaced every 3 or 4 years.

"Parents are making difficult financial decisions," Marciniak pointed out. "They're hosting fundraisers, GoFundMe pages, they're putting it on their credit cards. And some are forgoing them altogether. And it really doesn't need to be this way."

Opponents of a mandate argued it would raise costs for insurance companies, who will pass it on to consumers. In 2019, a bill to mandate hearing aid coverage for children - Assembly Bill 598 - passed both chambers in the state Legislature - but was shelved in favor of the current state-run program called Hearing Aid Coverage for Children. That program costs more than $16 million dollars a year but currently serves only 200 out of about 8-thousand eligible children. Experts say it's a flop because so few audiologists participate in the program - and that is blamed on low reimbursement rates for providers, administrative red tape, and overburdened clinics.

In 2019, a bill to mandate hearing aid coverage for children, Assembly Bill 598, passed both chambers in the state Legislature but was shelved in favor of the current state-run program called Hearing Aid Coverage for Children. The program costs more than $16 million dollars a year but currently serves only 200 out of about 8,000 eligible children. Experts said it has been a flop because so few audiologists participate in the program, which is blamed on low reimbursement rates for providers, administrative red tape, and overburdened clinics.

Marciniak acknowledged California does a great job at screening children for hearing loss, but does a terrible job at making intervention affordable.

"Now, over 30 states have recognized that this is a developmental emergency for children, and they have acted on it by requiring health plans to cover pediatric hearing aids," Marciniak emphasized. " And we believe this is the best, most efficient delivery system that's connected to a child's medical home."

Just one in 10 children has hearing aids covered by a private insurance plan in California. Experts estimate 1,000 deaf or hard-of-hearing kids are born in the state each year. Lawmakers and the governor have until June 15 to finalize the budget.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox joined the Children's Collaborative for Healing and Support last week to announce a pilot program in the state designed to support grieving children and connect them to services.

According to the Children's Collaborative, there are more than 60,000 young people in Utah who have experienced the death of a parent or caregiver. The pilot's purpose is to help kids get the help they need.

Gov. Cox noted in Utah, one in 15 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling before they reach the age of 18. He said family's shouldn't suffer alone.

"We have the resources already available and we need to use them," Cox urged. "Not only do children suffer the emotional pain of losing a caregiver, they often experience trauma and when not provided support they have long-term consequences like low self-esteem, depression and poor performance in school."

Gov. Cox added it is important to remember losing a parent can also mean sudden financial and housing insecurities, which leave some youth homeless. According to the Children's Collaborative, the Utah pilot program will lay the groundwork for it to be implemented in other communities nationwide.

According to the group, the program will use both a "school based identifying strategy and a data matching system using public records on a state level," to offer assistance.

Rich Nye, superintendent of the Granite School District, said tragedies, like losing a loved one, have an immediate impact on how well children preform in school and the type of education they receive. Nye considers partnerships like the Children's Collaborative as a "key to unlocking the full potential," of communities.

"Because it is partnerships like these that reach down within the community, at the individual level," Nye emphasized. "Schools are uniquely positioned, given our role as hubs in the community, of connecting children and their families to these resources."

The Children's Collaborative for Healing and Support was created by the COVID collaborative. The pandemic took more than 1.1 million American lives and the group eventually discovered 340,000 children lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19.


get more stories like this via email