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Children With Special Needs
Across America, more than one in five (23%) families have at least one child with special health care needs. Early Intervention (remedial or preventive) is designed to improve outcomes for children with developmental disabilities: to enhance development and provide family support. WIC Can Helpfamilies get critical services for their children with special health care needs.
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Fidget - It's Good For You!
We've all heard by now how terrible it is for us to sit all day. Fortunately for those of us often deskbound, exercise
scientists agree that any movement
, no matter how slight, counts as physical activity and can be consequential!
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Federal Funding Updates: Speak Up Now!
With the clock ticking on summer recesses, the end of the fiscal year, mid-term elections and the calendar year, the House and Senate are focused on appropriations decisions. The Senate is pushing for a vote on the FY2019 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which includes WIC funding. Last week an amendment was proposed to increase WIC funding for breastfeeding peer counselors in the bill from $60 million to $80 million. A number of amendments are being put forth and it is not known if this amendment will make the final package. You can take action and tell your Senator to support this. WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors are a WIC Success Story! ACTION: Contact Senators Harris or Feinstein here!
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Citizenship 2020 Census: Comment!
For the first time since 1950, a citizenship question may be included on the 2020 Census. Members of Congress and numerous advocates opposed to this decision argue that the untested question will deter already hard-to-count populations from participating in the 2020 Census. A fair and accurate Census is crucial for determining the number of congressional seats and the amount of federal funding received by each state. Since the March announcement, advocacy groups across California have joined together to sue the federal government. California cities, including small Central Valley cities, are speaking up against this, fearing the question will specifically target immigrant, minority, and low-income groups with rippling effects on all Californians. ACTION: Submit a comment TODAY! The Census Bureau's notice for public comment is open until Aug. 7.
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Report on Expanding Work Requirements
The White House has released "
Expanding Work Requirements in Non-Cash Welfare Programs
," following an Executive Order in April requiring federal agencies to review all programmatic requirements and submit recommendations to the White House identifying opportunities to strengthen work requirements. The report calls for an expansion of work requirements in non-cash benefits programs, specifically SNAP and Medicaid, including CHIP. ACTION: Read NWA's
update
from earlier in July.
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World Breastfeeding Month is Here!
Join California partners in celebrating 2018 World Breastfeeding Week.
The California Children's Healthy Weight CoIIN (Collaborative Improvement & Innovation Network)
is helping raise awareness about
lactation accommodation
by using Facebook and Twitter to focus on lactation accommodation in the workplace. ACTION: Check out the campaign materials from California Breastfeeding Coalition, California WIC Association and California Department of Public Health.
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CWA is Hiring!
California WIC Association (CWA) is seeking a qualified candidate to join our team! The
Project Coordinator
will focus on a variety of strategies, initiatives and deliverables that support and promote the WIC program and related public health issues. The ideal candidate will have a background in nutrition or public health, strong written and oral communication skills, and the agility and organizational skills to competently juggle multiple projects and timelines. ACTION: Applicants should review the
job posting
and submit a resume with 3 references, 2-3 writing samples, salary requirements, and cover letter by mail or email to Lena Workman
, California WIC Association, 3120 Freeboard Dr. Suite 101, West Sacramento, CA, 95691 by tomorrow, August 1.
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WIC/Kindergarten Gap Impacts Food Security, Reading
Almost 1 million children face a food security gap when they age out of WIC services at 5 years old but are not yet in kindergarten. A
new study from University of Missouri
,
of 1,950 children aged 4-6.5 years, indicates that not only does the coverage gap impact overall food insecurity, it reduces reading scores at kindergarten entry. Scores improved when children were tested again in the spring after participating in school lunch programs. Researchers recommend that policymakers consider extending WIC eligibility until children enter school rather than setting an age limit.
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Chemicals in Packaged Foods: AAP Guidance
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued guidelines in a statement and scientific technical report, urging families to limit the use of plastic food containers, cut down on processed meat during pregnancy and consume more whole fruits and vegetables rather than processed food. Such measures would lower children's exposures to chemicals in food and food packaging that are tied to health problems such as obesity. The AAP joins other medical and advocacy groups that have expressed concern about the growing body of scientific evidence indicating that certain chemicals that enter foods may interfere with the body's natural hormones in ways that may affect long-term growth and development.
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Incarcerated Parents, Lasting Struggles for Kids
Young adults who had a parent incarcerated during their childhood are more likely to skip needed healthcare, smoke cigarettes, engage in risky sexual behaviors, and misuse alcohol, prescription and illicit drugs, according to a new study in Pediatrics. These findings have a potentially broad impact, as more than five million U.S. children have had a parent in jail or prison. Incarceration of a mother during childhood, as opposed to a father, produced varying impacts. Racial disparities are rampant: while only 15 percent of young adults in the study were Black, they accounted for roughly 34 percent of those with history of an incarcerated mother and 23 percent with history of an incarcerated father.
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Parents Underestimate Sugar in Foods
In 2015, the WHO recommended that sugar intake be limited to less than 10 percent of all calories consumed daily. For young children, that's about 45 grams of sugar a day. A recent study in the International Journal of Obesity suggests that most parents are not accurate in estimating how much sugar is in some common foodstuffs. About three-quarters of the parents underestimated the total amount of sugar in the foods - in some cases radically, with the biggest divergences happening around foods commonly seen as "healthful." Parents with the largest underestimates of sugar content had children with the highest BMIs. Researchers suggest food labels include a "traffic-light system": a red dot for high sugar content, green for minimal sugar content.
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Guidance for Supporting Maternal Mental Health
T
here is overwhelming evidence of the importance of healthy, maternal mental status for individuals and families.
However, there is less clarity and much debate about how to best identify and support mothers and the family unit impacted by the most common maternal mental health disorder - depression. A brief from the
Association of State Public Health Nutritionists,
Supporting Maternal Mental Health In Public Health Nutrition Practice
, provides basic information on maternal depression and guidance for practical first-steps to address maternal mental health, highlights programs that integrate maternal mental health screening and training, and equips public health nutritionists to take a more active role.
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Breastfeeding Program and Policy Review Resource
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released
Breastfeeding Programs and Policies, Breastfeeding Uptake, and Maternal Health Outcomes in Developed Countries
.
The purpose of the review was to summarize the effectiveness of community, workplace, and health care system-based programs and policies aimed at supporting and promoting breastfeeding, and to determine the association between breastfeeding and maternal health. The review looked at impact of breastfeeding improvements as single and also combined strategies. Areas of review include, among other strategies, Baby Friendly hospitals, health care staff education, WIC peer counselors, workplace and other aspects in the continuum of care and community. Previous editions of this review have been useful in making the case for strategies for quality improvements for breastfeeding.
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CA Food Policy Advocates' Policy Priority Survey
Our partners at California Food Policy Advocates are committed to fighting hunger, poor nutrition, and their root causes. They want the input of organizations and individuals to help shape their priorities for 2019. Together, we can advance change to improve the lives of struggling Californians. This year's survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. Please share your thoughts and enter to win a $100 gift card!
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