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- Definition: Number of public school students eligible to receive free or reduced price meals. A child's family income must fall below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines ($31,005 for a family of four in 2014-2015) to qualify for free meals, or below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines ($44,123 for a family of four in 2014-2015) to qualify for reduced price meals.Percentage of public school students eligible to receive free or reduced price meals. A child's family income must fall below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines ($31,005 for a family of four in 2014-2015) to qualify for free meals, or below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines ($44,123 for a family of four in 2014-2015) to qualify for reduced price meals.
- Data Source: California Dept. of Education, Student Poverty FRPM Data (Mar. 2016); U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES Digest of Education Statistics (Mar. 2016).
- Footnote: Years presented are the final year of a school year (e.g., 2014-2015 is shown as 2015). LNE (Low Number Event) refers to data that have been suppressed because fewer than 20 students were eligible for the program. N/A means that data are not available.
Learn More About Food Security
- Measures of Food Security on Kidsdata.org
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Kidsdata.org provides the following indicators of food security:
- The number of individuals and the number and percentage of households, by race/ethnicity, participating in the CalFresh supplemental food program, formerly known as Food Stamps; these data are from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS)*
- The estimated number and percentage of children under age 18 living in households with limited or uncertain access to adequate food (i.e., children living in “food insecure” households), calculated by Feeding America; these data also are shown for U.S. Congressional Districts
- The number and percentage of K-12 public school students who are eligible to receive free or reduced price school meals, overall and by eligibility status (i.e., the number and percentage of students who are eligible to receive free school meals, eligible for reduced price school meals, and not eligible for this program); these data come from the California Department of Education
A child’s family income must fall below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines ($31,005 for a family of four in 2014-2015) to qualify for free meals, or below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines ($44,123 for a family of four in 2014-2015) to qualify for reduced price meals.
* According to CDSS, more than half of CalFresh participants are children. -
- Food Security
- Demographics
- Family Income and Poverty
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- Children in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity (Regions of 65,000 Residents or More)
- Children Living in Areas of Concentrated Poverty
- Children in Deep Poverty (Regions of 65,000 Residents or More)
- Median Family Income, by Family Type (Regions of 65,000 Residents or More)
- Income Level for Children Relative to Poverty (Regions of 65,000 Residents or More)
- Income Level for Children Relative to Poverty, by Family Type (Regions of 65,000 Residents or More)
- Children Living in Low-Income Working Families (Regions of 65,000 Residents or More)
- Children in Poverty - Supplemental Poverty Measure (California & U.S. Only)
- Self-Sufficiency Standard
- Children Participating in CalWORKs
- Homelessness
- Childhood Adversity and Resilience
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- Children with Two or More Adverse Experiences (Parent Reported)
- Children Who Are Resilient (Parent Reported)
- Prevalence of Childhood Hardships (Maternal Retrospective)
- by Family Income (CA Only)
- by Maternal Age (CA Only)
- by Prenatal Insurance Coverage (CA Only)
- by Race/Ethnicity (CA Only)
- Basic Needs Not Met
- Basic Needs Not Met, by Family Income (CA Only)
- Basic Needs Not Met, by Maternal Age (CA Only)
- Basic Needs Not Met, by Prenatal Insurance Coverage (CA Only)
- Basic Needs Not Met, by Race/Ethnicity (CA Only)
- Family Hunger
- Family Hunger, by Family Income (CA Only)
- Family Hunger, by Maternal Age (CA Only)
- Family Hunger, by Prenatal Insurance Coverage (CA Only)
- Family Hunger, by Race/Ethnicity (CA Only)
- Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (Adult Retrospective)
- Housing Affordability
- Nutrition
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- Children Drinking One or More Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Per Day
- Children Who Eat Five or More Servings of Fruits and Vegetables Daily, by Age Group
- Children Who Ate Fast Food Two or More Times in the Past Week, by Age Group
- Students Who Ate Breakfast in the Past Day, by Grade Level
- Healthy Food Choices Provided at School (Staff Reported)
- Why This Topic Is Important
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as not having consistent, dependable access to enough food for active, healthy living (1). Approximately one in five U.S. children live in food-insecure households (2). Food-insecure children are more likely to experience a host of health issues, including developmental, cognitive, behavioral, and mental health problems (3). Among pregnant women, food insecurity is associated with physical and mental health problems, as well as birth complications (3). Children and communities of color are disproportionately affected by food insecurity (3).
Food assistance programs, such as food stamps (i.e., SNAP, or CalFresh in California), the Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, provide a safety net to help ensure that low-income children, expectant mothers, and families get adequate nutrition. These programs have been shown to reduce poverty, improve birth outcomes, and improve children’s health in general (4, 5). Student participation in the National School Breakfast Program also is associated with improved school performance and cognitive functioning (6).Student eligibility for free or reduced price school meals (one measure in this topic) also serves as a useful proxy indicator of family poverty. Income eligibility for these meals goes up to 185% of the federal poverty level, which was about $44,000 for a family of four in 2014-2015. The low federal poverty threshold tends to underestimate the extent of poverty, particularly in high cost areas. Research indicates that families in California can earn two or more times the federal poverty level and still struggle to meet their basic needs (7).
For more information on food security, please see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section. Also see kidsdata.org’s other topics related to Family Economics.
Sources for this narrative:
1. Coleman-Jensen, A., et al. (2016). Household food security in the United States in 2015. (Economic Research Report No. 215). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Retrieved from: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=79760
2. As cited on kidsdata.org, Children living in food insecure households. (2016). Gundersen, C., et al., Map the meal gap 2016: Food insecurity and child food insecurity estimates at the county level. Feeding America.
3. California Dept. of Public Health, Office of Health Equity. (2015). Portrait of promise: The California statewide plan to promote health and mental health equity. Food Insecurity and Nutrition section. Retrieved from: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Documents/Accessible-CDPH_OHE_Disparity_Report_Final.pdf
4. Gundersen, C. (2015). Food assistance programs and child health. The Future of Children, 25(1), 91-109. Retrieved from: http://www.futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/journal_details/index.xml?journalid=83
5. Rossin-Slater, M. (2015). Promoting health in early childhood. The Future of Children, 25(1), 35-64. Retrieved from: http://www.futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/journal_details/index.xml?journalid=83
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Health and academic achievement. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/health_and_academics/pdf/health-academic-achievement.pdf
7. As cited on kidsdata.org, Self-Sufficiency Standard. (2014). Insight Center for Community Economic Development and Dr. Diana Pearce, California Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Standard. Center for Women's Welfare, School of Social Work, University of Washington.
- How Children Are Faring
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Nearly 59% of all public school students in California are eligible for free or reduced price school meals (meaning their household incomes are less than about $44,000 for a family of four), according to 2015 data. This equates to over 3.5 million low-income students statewide, an increase from about 3.2 million (51%) in 2007. County and school district data show increases, as well; between 2007 and 2015, percentages rose in all but one county and in most school districts with available data. At the county level, the percentage of students eligible for free/reduced price meals ranged from 26% to 80% in 2015. Many more students are eligible for free meals than for reduced price meals. In 2015, over 3 million California students (50% of all students) were eligible for free meals, while over 500,000 (9%) were eligible for reduced price meals.
In 2015, almost 4.5 million Californians participated in the CalFresh supplemental food program, formerly known as Food Stamps. Hispanic/Latino and white households represented the majority of CalFresh participants in 2015, accounting for 75% of the approximately 2.1 million participating households.
According to 2014 estimates, almost 2.1 million California children (23% of the child population) lived in “food insecure” households with uncertain or inadequate access to food, down from nearly 2.5 million (27% of the child population) in 2011. - Policy Implications
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Food insecurity—a lack of consistent, dependable access to enough food for healthy living—is a major public health problem in California and the U.S., affecting millions of children and families (1, 2). Policymakers can help by supporting efforts to ameliorate poverty, strengthen food assistance programs, and expand access to nutritious, affordable foods in low-income communities (3).
Food and nutrition assistance programs address food insecurity by providing low-income children and families with nutritious and affordable meals. However, these programs are not used by many who are eligible (4, 5). For example, in California public schools, 30% of the state’s 3.2 million low-income students miss out on free or reduced price school lunch, and 62% miss out on school breakfast (5).
According to research and subject experts, policy and program actions that could improve food security include:
- Utilizing authority under state and federal law to support efforts to make it simpler and less stigmatizing for students to access free and reduced price school meals, while streamlining administration at the school level; for example, encouraging eligible schools to use the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows them to offer free meals to all students (6, 7)
- Adopting school district-wide use of effective models for serving free or reduced price school breakfast, such as serving it during the school day, in class, or outside of traditional settings, to increase participation and decrease stigma associated with subsidized breakfast (7)
- Assisting school districts that are struggling to meet the new federal nutrition standards for food sold at schools (6)
- Supporting efforts to expand and increase participation in federal Summer Nutrition Programs, which provide free meals to low-income children during the summer months (3, 8)
- Addressing under-enrollment in other food safety net programs—such as CalFresh (food stamps) and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)—through outreach to improve public awareness and perceptions of the programs, and by reducing barriers to applying and maintaining enrollment (4)
- Supporting the work of food councils and community groups that are promoting access to sustainable, affordable, and nutritious food sources through such efforts as community and home gardens, farmers markets, urban agriculture, and public education (2, 3)
- Maintaining, strengthening, and building on state and local policies aimed at reducing poverty among working families in California, including CalWORKs, the state Earned Income Tax Credit, and minimum wage laws (9)
For more policy recommendations and research on this topic, see kidsdata.org's Research & Links section or visit California Food Policy Advocates and the Food Research & Action Center. Also see Policy Implications on kidsdata.org under Family Income and Poverty and Nutrition.
Sources for this narrative:
1. Coleman-Jensen, A., et al. (2016). Household food security in the United States in 2015. (Economic Research Report No. 215). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Retrieved from: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=79760
2. California Food Policy Council. (2015). California Food Policy Council 2015 report on legislation related to food and farming. Retrieved from: http://www.rootsofchange.org/wp-content/uploads/CAFPC-2015-LEGISLATIVE-REPORT-final.pdf
3. California Dept. of Public Health, Office of Health Equity. (2015). Portrait of promise: The California statewide plan to promote health and mental health equity. Food Insecurity and Nutrition section. Retrieved from: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Documents/Accessible-CDPH_OHE_Disparity_Report_Final.pdf
4. Beck, L., et al. (2015). Enrollment in health and nutrition safety net programs among California's children. Public Policy Institute of California. Retrieved from: http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=1126
5. California Food Policy Advocates. (2016). School meal access and participation: California statewide summary 2014-15. Retrieved from: http://cfpa.net/school-meal-analysis-2014-15
6. Food Research & Action Center. (2015). National School Lunch Program: Trends and factors affecting student participation. Retrieved from: http://frac.org/pdf/national_school_lunch_report_2015.pdf
7. Food Research & Action Center. (2016). School breakfast scorecard: 2014-2015 school year. Retrieved from: http://frac.org/pdf/School_Breakfast_Scorecard_SY_2014_2015.pdf
8. Fischer Colby, A., & Shimada, T. (2016). School’s out…Who ate? A report on summer nutrition in California. California Food Policy Advocates. Retrieved from: http://cfpa.net/sowa-2016
9. Danielson, C. (2016). California's future: Social safety net. Public Policy Institute of California. Retrieved from: http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=1080
- Research & Links
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- Websites with Related Information
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- CalFresh (Food Stamp) Program, California Dept. of Social Services
- California Association of Food Banks
- California Food Policy Advocates
- California WIC Association
- Center for the Study of Social Policy: Income and Food Security
- Feeding America
- Food Research and Action Center
- No Kid Hungry
- Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Poverty, Vulnerability, and the Safety Net: Hunger and Food Assistance, Urban Institute
- Public Policy Institute of California
- Roots of Change, California Food Policy Council
- USDA: Food & Nutrition Assistance
- Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Program, California Dept. of Public Health
- Key Reports and Research
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- After School Programs & Meals: Opportunities to Support Working Families in California, 2018, California Food Policy Advocates
- An Equitable Food System: Good for Families, Communities, and the Economy, 2016, PolicyLink & Marguerite Casey Foundation
- Childhood Food Insecurity in the U.S.: Trends, Causes, and Policy Options, 2014, The Future of Children, Gundersen, C., & Ziliak, J. P.
- Food Assistance Programs and Child Health, 2015, The Future of Children, Gundersen, C.
- Food Security in the U.S., U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
- How Hungry is America?, 2018, Food Research & Action Center
- Impossible Choices: Teens and Food Insecurity in America, 2016, Urban Institute & Feeding America, Popkin, S., et al.
- Improving California Children’s Participation in Nutrition Programs, 2016, Public Policy Institute of California, Danielson, C., & Bohn, S.
- National School Lunch Program: Trends and Factors Affecting Student Participation, 2015, Food Research and Action Center
- No Food for Thought: Food Insecurity Is Related to Poor Mental Health and Lower Academic Performance Among Students in California’s Public University System, 2018, Journal of Health Psychology, Martinez, S. M., et al.
- Portrait of Promise: The California Statewide Plan to Promote Health and Mental Health Equity, 2015, California Dept. of Public Health, Office of Health Equity
- Promoting Food Security for All Children, 2015, Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Community Pediatrics & Committee on Nutrition
- Research Brief – The Connections Between Food Insecurity, the Federal Nutrition Programs, and Student Behavior, 2018, Food Research & Action Center
- School Breakfast Program, Food Research and Action Center
- School’s Out…Who Ate? A Report on Summer Nutrition in California, 2017, California Food Policy Advocates, Fischer Colby, A.
- The CalFresh Food Assistance Program, 2018, Public Policy Institute of California, Danielson, C.
- Why Low-Income and Food-Insecure People Are Vulnerable to Poor Nutrition and Obesity, Food Research and Action Center
- County/Regional Reports
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- 2018-19 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-Being, Children Now
- 2019 Santa Clara County Children's Data Book, Santa Clara County Office of Education & Kids in Common
- Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan, Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health
- Current Research on Hunger in San Diego County, San Diego Hunger Coalition
- Food Insecurity in Los Angeles County, 2017, Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health
- Important Facts About Kern’s Children, 2018, Kern County Network for Children
- Key Indicators of Health by Service Planning Area, 2017, Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health
- Live Well San Diego Report Card on Children, Families, and Community, 2017, The Children's Initiative & Live Well San Diego
- San Mateo County All Together Better, San Mateo County Health
- Santa Monica Youth Wellbeing Report Card, Santa Monica Cradle to Career
- The 24th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County, 2018, Orange County Children's Partnership
- More Data Sources For Food Security
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- California Family Needs Calculator, Insight Center for Community Economic Development
- California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal, California Health and Human Services Agency
- California Health Interview Survey, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
- Child Trends Databank: Food Insecurity
- County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- KIDS COUNT Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Map the Meal Gap, Feeding America
- Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (MIHA), California Dept. of Public Health & University of California San Francisco
- National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), National Center for Health Statistics
- Nutrition and Food Insecurity Profiles, California Food Policy Advocates
- SNAP-Ed County Profiles, California Dept. of Public Health
- State of the States: Profiles of Hunger, Poverty, and Federal Nutrition Programs, Food Research and Action Center
- The Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey, Urban Institute
- USDA Economic Research Service: Food Environment Atlas
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