The Public Charge Rule and Its Impact on School Meal Programs

Last month the Trump Administration published a new rule on something called Public Charge. It creates new barriers for immigrants to achieve permanent status in the U.S. with either a green card or citizenship. In effect, the rule states that any non-citizen who might receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing assistance, or Medicaid may not be admitted to the country or be granted legal status. The determination of an immigrant’s likelihood of requiring assistance in the future is a subjective one, but individuals and families that are not wealthy or secure in their employment on arrival will certainly be at risk.

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What You Missed at SNA's 2019 Legislative Action Conference

SNA's 47th Legislative Action Conference (LAC) is in the books and I was thrilled to be in attendance, along with several other Heartland team members. This is one of my favorite school nutrition events of the year, and it's a great opportunity for  advocates to come together for the betterment of students. Here are some of my top takeaways from this year's event.

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What the Government Shutdown Means for Your Nutrition Program

The following post was written by Barry Sackin of Sackin & Associates

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What's Next in USDA Foodservice Policy

The following post was written by Barry Sackin of Sackin & Associates

It’s October of a very interesting year. The midterm elections are less than a month away, and the direction of the school foodservice segment will be impacted considerably. It is not my place or intention to comment on politics or your choices, but, as good citizens, I encourage all of you to vote your conscience.

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USDA Announces More Flexibility for School Meals

The following post was written by Barry Sackin of Sackin & Associates

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A Brief History of School Lunch in America [Infographic]

The history of school lunch programs in America is anything but brief.  The Children's Aid Society began feeding hungry, needy school children in New York City as far back as 1853.  But it wasn't until the late 19th century that some major US cities, including Philadelphia and Boston, started their own school lunch programs.  Over the next century, authors, war, and politics continued to shape the school lunch program into what we know it as today.

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5 Ways To Prepare for Verification

With Verification just around the corner, there's a number of things you and your staff can do in your Free & Reduced software to make this process even smoother this school year.  In working with our in-house Free & Reduced experts, we've come up with 5 things every district should do now to prepare for the start of Verification:

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Block Grants for School Meals

The following post was written by Barry Sackin of Sackin & Associates

Child Nutrition Reauthorization continues its arduous trek through the legislative process with a new wrinkle.  The House Committee on Education and the Workforce marked up its version of CNR in late May.  There are a few things in the bill that you will probably find appealing: an increase of 2¢ in breakfast reimbursement; elimination of the Paid Meal Equity provision; no additional reductions in sodium beyond Target 1; periodic reviews of meal standards based on science; and a return to the five year review cycle.  But there are two killer provisions in the bill as well: raising the threshold for the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) from 40% to 60%; and a three state, three year pilot for block-granting school meals.

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Child Nutrition Reauthorization: Where The Debate In Washington Heads Next

The following post was written by Barry Sackin of Sackin & Associates

In my last blog post, we talked about reauthorization and gave a first look at what’s in the Senate bill.  Today we will provide an update on CNR in Congress and look at some of the other school nutrition issues in the Senate bill.

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A Look Back At SNA's 44th Annual Legislative Action Conference

Five Heartlanders attended the 44th Annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC) held on February 28-March 1, 2016 in Washington, D.C.  Child Nutrition Reauthorization was the primary focus of this year’s conference.  As discussed in this blog, the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act authorizes all of the federal school meal and child nutrition programs, which provide funding to ensure that low-income children have access to healthy and nutritious foods.

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