Chapin Hall

The Issue

According to the most recent estimates, 20% of children in the United States – almost 14 million children – face hunger and food insecurity (Rabbitt et al., 2024). Food assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), provide critical supports to families struggling with food insecurity. SNAP and WIC are two examples of cost-saving programs that pay future dividends by improving participants’ short- and long-term outcomes and providing benefits to society at large (Farr et al., 2024).

The Evidence

Research shows that participating in food assistance programs, such as SNAP and WIC, is associated with lower risk for child welfare system involvement.

• Johnson-Motoyama et al. (2022) found that states that implemented more policies to expand access to SNAP experienced large reductions in CPS reports accepted for and reductions in CPS and foster care caseloads between 2004 and 2016. States that adopted policy options to expand access to SNAP had lower rates of CPS and foster care outcomes for all forms of child maltreatment and specifically for neglect.
• Austin et al. (2023) found that states that adopted both policies to expand SNAP eligibility under broad-based categorical eligibility – increasing the income limit for eligibility and eliminating the asset test – were associated with decreases in the number of CPS-investigated reports between 2006 and 2019 (on average, 9.3 fewer investigated reports per 1,000 children each year).
• Lee & Mackey-Bilaver (2007) found that children from low-income families who participated in SNAP or WIC, jointly or alone, had lower rates of substantiated maltreatment reports, compared to children from low-income families who did not participate in either program.

The Way Forward

Food assistance programs play a critical role in safeguarding child well-being by reducing economic hardship and assisting families struggling with food insecurity. Research shows that participating in food assistance programs, such as SNAP and WIC, is associated with lower risk for child welfare system involvement. These findings underscore the importance of food assistance programs to promote child safety and family stability.

For questions related to this bulletin, please contact Alana Barr.

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