East County News Service

March 10, 2020 (Sacramento) - The California Department of Education (CDE) has received a special waiver called CA COVID19 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will enable a school district that had previously been approved to operate the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or Seamless Summer Option (SSO) to provide meals to students during a coronavirus-related closure. 

May 4, 2015 (Sacramento) -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that disadvantaged families in California can now find updated lists of child and adult care centers offering nutritious meals at low- or no-cost through the California Department of Education’s Web site.

 “I encourage low-income families to take advantage of these centers to ensure their children are well-fed and have access to nutritious food,” said Torlakson. “Students have to be healthy to succeed in school, and a good diet is critical to good health.”

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is funded by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Nearly 5,000 local child care centers and 17,000 sponsored family day care home providers in California participate in the CACFP. These facilities provide nutritious food to infants, children, and adults. All children enrolled in these day care homes receive meals at no charge. Most participating child care centers also provide meals at no charge. In centers that have a separate charge for meals, participants may receive free or reduced-price meals.

Calls provision allowing school lunch equipment purchases "wasteful spending"

August 31, 2010 (Washington D.C.) – Congressman Duncan D. Hunter (R-El Cajon) , a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, voted against sending H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, to the full House for consideration. 

The bill aims to make school lunches more nutritious and get junk food out of schools. The goal is to improve children's health and cut down on childhood obesity, a national epidemic.  From 1980 to 2009, childhood obesity in America has tripled--and poor nutritional habits are largely to blame. In California, 30.5% of all children are obese, putting them at higher risk of diabetes and heart problems later on.