Mixed-Status Families and Immigrant Families with Children Continued Avoiding Safety Net Programs in 2023 | |
Low-income members of immigrant and mixed-status families, including children, continue to miss out on needed benefits and services, and experience high rates of material hardship. According to a new Urban Institute report, nearly one in four adults in mixed-status families avoided safety net programs because of green card concerns in 2023 and more than one in seven adults in immigrant families with children avoided safety net programs because of green card concerns. | | |
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Legislators Question Electronic Grocery Labels, Potential Surge Pricing | U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bob Casey (D-PA) recently sent a letter to Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen questioning the grocer's use of electronic labels and digital price tags, which can be instantly changed to enable “surge pricing” based on temporary factors such as the time of day, weather, and other demand influences. | |
How Did CWA's Bill List Fare on Suspense Day? | |
"Suspense Day", is a biannual event where the Appropriations committees of both houses of the CA legislature rule if fiscal bills will move forward or are held at the desk. This Suspense Day, several bills supported by CWA were held, including Food4All initiatives. Several other bills supported by CWA, including several paid family leave measures, successfully cleared the suspense file and are now headed to the floor for votes. Stay tuned for updates as these important bills move through the final stages of the legislative process. You can see CWA’s bill list for this year here.
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Welcome, Megan!
California WIC Association recently welcomed Megan Esparza, MAS, RDN, CLC, as our Executive Director. Megan especially looks forward to the opportunity to collaborate with CDPH WIC staff and the 84 WIC local agencies, and many state and national partners. Megan has grown her career working for WIC, starting in her dietetic internship. The last decade she has been at Camino Health Center in Orange County, serving as WIC Director since 2016. During her time at Camino she helped the team to navigate changes and challenges such as implementation of the WIC card, the formula shortage, and switching to remote services. She cultivated partnerships with departments within Camino and community partners such as Help Me Grow Orange County. She has been active in the Southern California Consortia of WIC Programs (SCCWP) and on the CWA board for several years. Previous to working in California, Megan worked for Nevada WIC at both a local agency and the state level. During her time at Nevada State WIC, among her responsibilities Megan worked on policies, provided trainings for local agencies, conducted program reviews, provided counseling support to a rural local agency, and participated in the Western Region Nutrition Coordinators meetings. She recognized the value and importance of the WIC program while attending UC Davis and had the opportunity to intern with Community Resource Project WIC, in Sacramento. After completing her dietetic internship, including a rotation at Santa Barbara County WIC, the rest is history. Megan lives in Southern California with her husband, daughter, dog Bodhi and two cats, Pete and Repete.
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You’re Invited: WIC 50th!
Please join us for WIC's 50th Anniversary bash on September 24th! We will be hearing from some excellent speakers about the amazing support that WIC has been to our communities for decades, enjoying some exciting entertainment, and giving away some cool swag. Everyone is invited, we would love to see you there! Please share widely with your networks.
When: September 24th, 10:00 AM-12:30 PM PST
Where: California State Capitol, West Side
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Call for Proposals
The call for proposals for the 2025 California WIC Association (CWA) Virtual Conference and Trade show is now open and will close on September 30, 2024.
Currently, we are accepting proposals for sessions that focus on Early Childhood Nutrition, Equity for All Families, Human Lactation, or Leadership & Innovation.
The annual CWA Virtual Conference and Tradeshow is scheduled for May 6-9, 2025. For proposal submission and presenter details, please visit the CWA website. Feel free to contact jduranwest@calwic.org if you have any questions.
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Share Your Breastfeeding Month Festivities and Photos!
We know that WIC sites all over California have been hosting a variety of amazing events and recognitions for World Breastfeeding Week, National WIC Breastfeeding Week, Indigenous Milk Medicine Week, Asian American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AA/NH/PI) Breastfeeding Week, Black Breastfeeding Week and Semana de La Lactancia Latina. CWA is happy to help you promote them on our social media channels as well as feature pictures in our Fall issue of the WIC Watch! Please send Sarah anything you would like promoted ahead of time, and as you wrap your events, we would LOVE to receive pictures (with captions so we know who is who!) that we can share.
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Early HbA1c Screening Effective for High Risk Parents | A new study found early pregnancy HbA1c testing to be an effective screening test for high-risk parents and allows early interention and a reduced need for oral glucose tolerance tests. | |
Only Half of US Hospitals are Implementing WHO's 10 Steps | Only 51% of U.S. hospitals are implementing 6 or more of the WHO's 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding according to recent research. | |
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Ferritin Cutoffs Influence Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Diagnoses | Research indicates that the choice of guideline-recommended cutoffs for ferritin was associated with the incidence of iron deficiency diagnoses in primary care. More incidences of iron deficiency were found using cutoffs of 30 and 45 ng/mL than using 15 ng/mL. | |
"Soda Taxes" Associated With Lower BMI for Youth | A recent study using data from four Bay Area cities found that city-level excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with lower body mass index (BMI) among youth. | |
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Breast Pumps Significantly Extend Breastfeeding Duration | Women who use a breast pump to store milk for their infant tend to breastfeed 21 weeks longer, on average, compared to moms who don't use the devices, new research finds. | | |
Start your mornings off right, with some simple breakfast ideas to give your body what it needs for these hot summer days! The August edition of the W3 Newsletter also features a healthful cookie dough recipe to help satisfy those afternoon treat cravings. Please share widely! Thank you to the students working with John Haubenstricker, American Red Cross WIC, to provide these monthly resources. | |
Visit our YouTube Channel to watch easy healthy food recipes like this month's Tofu Twist Cookie Dough Bliss! | | |
As a nonprofit membership organization, CWA relies on the contributions of many organizations and individuals to help us achieve our mission. There are many ways to give of your time, talents, or resources to help CWA promote healthy families, strong communities, and bright futures! We appreciate all forms of support and invite you to join us! | | | | |
