Universal Free School Meals Policies: Impact on Child Health and Well-being

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

The National School Lunch and Breakfast Program reaches over 30 million children, yet the program is underutilized; more than 40% of eligible children do not participate in the program. The program’s existing income eligibility reimbursement system leads to administrative burden among schools and families, confusion among families on eligibility requirements, and stigma among children, all of which drive under-utilization. Universal free school meal policies, where children receive school meals at no cost, are a possible policy solution to improve participation and child well-being. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is one type of universal free school meals policy; high-need schools, groups of schools, or districts are eligible to opt into serving meals to all children at no cost. During the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA administered a federal emergency waiver where all states could opt into serving meals at no cost. When this waiver expired in June 2022, some states passed legislation to maintain statewide universal free school meals policies, providing meals at no cost to all schools within the state, starting in the 2022-2023 school year.

This panel brings together three papers investigating the effect of universal free school meals policies, both statewide policies and the Community Eligibility Provision, on student well-being with a focus on health outcomes including food insecurity, BMI, and blood pressure.

Policy Area

• Poverty and Income Policy

Secondary Policy Area

• Family and Child Policy

Chair

• Erica Kenney, Harvard University

Discussant

• Krista Ruffini, Georgetown University

Organizer

• Kelsey Leigh Kinderknecht, Harvard University

Individual Presentations

• School Participation in the Community Eligibility Provision and Blood Pressure Outcomes - Presenting Author: Anna Localio, University of Washington

• Universal Free School Meals and Child Body Mass Index: Impact of the Community Eligibility Provision - Presenting Author: Jessica C Jones-Smith, University of California, Irvine

• Statewide Universal Free School Meals Policies and Household Food Security - Presenting Author: Kelsey Leigh Kinderknecht, Harvard University

• Closing the Hunger Gap: A Causal Impact Evaluation of Integrated Social Protection Systems on Food Security - Presenting Author: Sunday John Oluwadero, University of Delaware