The Nutrition Policy Institute's CalFresh Healthy Living Evaluation team, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, is thrilled to announce recognition of 129 schools, 79 early care and education programs, and 77 out-of-school time programs across California as recipients of the 2024 Leaders in Eating and Activity Practices, or LEAP, Awards. LEAP Awards recognize schools, early care and education programs, and out-of-school time programs that demonstrate achievement of best practices that support healthy eating and active living, as reported on a Site-Level Assessment Questionnaire. Awardees partner with their local health department's CalFresh Healthy Living program to plan and implement health promotion projects. We applaud these sites, and their Local Health Department partners, for their dedication to supporting the health and well-being of the children and youth they serve! For more information about LEAP Awards, visit the LEAP award web page or email EvaluateSNAPEd@ucanr.edu.
A new policy brief provides evidence supporting the need for an increase in the number of reimbursable meals and snacks under the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program, also known as CACFP, from three to four per child daily. CACFP provides nutritious meals to nearly 625,000 children attending family childcare homes nationwide, primarily from lower-income families. However, it currently reimburses providers for a daily maximum of only two meals and one snack per child. Research by the Nutrition Policy Institute, CACFP Roundtable, and UC Berkeley involved surveys collected from over 250 California family childcare providers in 2024. Findings revealed that providers typically serve at least four meals/snacks daily but struggle financially due to limited reimbursements. Two-thirds of providers expressed a desire for reimbursements to cover four or more meals/snacks, while one-third worried about children going hungry without CACFP meals, highlighting the program's critical role in ensuring child food security. The brief recommends increasing CACFP reimbursements to four meals/snacks to support child nutrition and food security. Interviews with providers, families, and sponsors further highlight the program's critical impact. Read the full brief for more insights. This work was supported by a grant from Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the California Collaborative for Pandemic Recovery and Readiness Research Program which was funded by the California Department of Public Health.
Nutrition Policy Institute researchers were awarded funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research program's 2024 call for proposals. NPI's Lorrene Ritchie, in collaboration with the CACFP Roundtable and Susana Matias at the University of California, Berkeley, received funding for a project titled, “Pilot-testing a peer navigator intervention for the Child and Adult Care Food Program to bridge a gap in nutrition supports in family childcare”. The Child and Adult Care Food Program, commonly known as CACFP, has the potential to improve food security, diet quality, and financial stability for low-income families, but participation among family child care homes in California is limited due to administrative burdens. The project aims to develop and pilot a peer navigator intervention, co-designed with CACFP stakeholders, to increase family child care home claiming and retention and bridge access disparities with newly enrolled providers. Only 7 grants were awarded this cycle.
- Author: Brianna Aguayo Villalon
- Editor: Danielle Lee
The Nutrition Policy Institute has launched three new Spanish-language web pages, designed to better serve our Spanish-speaking research participants and increase accessibility to and inclusion of the greater Spanish-speaking community. These new pages provide essential information about NPIs mission, vision, and how our research has supported major policy milestones in California and nationally, and to share existing NPI Spanish-language resources. The web pages include:
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NPI in Spanish, NPI en Español, describes NPI, our mission and vision, and our work in conducting and evaluating research related to the impact of nutrition and physical activity on public health.
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Our Impact, Nuestro Impacto, describes how NPI's research provides influential evidence that shapes federal, state and local nutrition programs and highlights contributions to several programs and policy wins.
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Resources, Recursos, includes Spanish-language online trainings, news articles, infographics and policy briefs developed by NPI.
These pages reflect NPI's ongoing efforts to increase inclusivity, accessibility, and engagement with Spanish-speaking audiences. We invite you to explore the pages and share them with your networks.
Join us today on Giving Tuesday to support the Nutrition Policy Institute Student Fellowship. The fellowship provides invaluable professional experience to undergraduate and graduate students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, including first-generation college students and those with lived experiences of food insecurity or public health nutrition programs. By supporting this fellowship, you're not only investing in the future of nutrition policy but also honoring the legacy of our founding co-director, Patricia Crawford. Since creating the fellowship in 2019, NPI has proudly funded ten fellows whose work helps shape, conduct, and translate policy-relevant research that enriches our California communities by transforming environments for healthy children and families. Your generosity is instrumental in helping us advance this important mission. Donate today!
