How SNAP Changes Are Affecting Kids’ Access to Food

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[00:00:00] For families all across the country, the top priority is providing children with everything they need to grow, learn, and be happy and healthy. But one recent policy change is making it harder for America's kids to access food both at home and at school. For more than 60 years, the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP, has helped families put food on the table.

SNAP helps more than 40 million people, including millions of kids, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities afford groceries. It is America's largest anti-hunger program. And last year, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a law that included cuts to this funding. Nonpartisan analysis and anti-hunger organizations agree that the changes will mean fewer people will qualify for assistance and that many eligible families will lose benefits because of new requirements that make things harder to apply.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the [00:01:00] nonpartisan agency that analyzes legislation for Congress, the law reduces federal SNAP spending by about a hundred and eighty-seven billion over the next decade, the largest reduction in the program's history. They also estimate that on average, roughly two point four million fewer people will receive SNAP benefits each month because of the law's changes.

Some of those changes include expanded work requirements for certain adults, new verification and reporting requirements, and shifting more program costs to states. But here's what often gets missed. SNAP is a household benefit. When a parent or caregiver loses eligibility or when a family struggles to navigate new paperwork or reporting requirements, the entire household can lose access to food assistance.

Children lose access to food. Recent analysis of state SNAP enrollment data show that participation has fallen sharply since the law passed. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that an estimated four point five [00:02:00] million people already have lost SNAP benefits since this law's enactment.

One analysis by the Congressional Research Service estimates that of the number, more than one million kids have already lost access to benefits across states reporting data right now. That's thirteen percent of children dropped from the SNAP program. Many people don't realize that SNAP also helps families connect to other critical sources of nutrition, free school breakfasts and lunch.

Today's schools don't rely solely on paper application from parents. Instead, millions of kids are automatically enrolled in free school lunch meals because their families participate in SNAP. That's called direct certification, and it reduces paperwork while making sure eligible kids don't fall through the cracks.

There's another part of the school meals program that's even less well-known. It's called the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP. When enough students in a school qualify, mostly through [00:03:00] SNAP, the entire school can offer free breakfast and lunch to every student. No applications, no lunch debt, and no stigma around who can afford to eat.

It's a simple idea that helps ensure every kid is ready to learn. According to a new report from the Center for American Progress, nearly thirty-four million public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the last school year. More than forty-nine thousand public schools participated in the CEP program.

Together, those schools served more than twenty-five million students with free meals every day. Here's why the SNAP change matters. Now, as the school year is starting around the country, fewer families will receive SNAP. Fewer kids are automatically certified for free school meals. And when enough kids lose that status, entire schools can lose their eligibility to provide free meals to every student through CEP.

For [00:04:00] families, those costs add up quickly. The Center for American Progress estimates that if a family with two kids loses access to free school meals, they would need to spend nearly one thousand nine hundred more every year purchasing school breakfasts and lunch, or more than two thousand two hundred annually if they pack lunches instead.

Unfortunately, that's money most families simply don't have. They're already balancing rent, childcare, transportation, utilities, and groceries. That's not just another expense. It's another impossible choice. Children shouldn't go hungry because of confusing paperwork, administrative complexity, or changing eligibility rules for members of their household.

At Code for America, we know how dire this moment is. That's why we work every day to make it easier for eligible people to access essential public benefits. For years, our team has used technology to simplify the process for families to sign [00:05:00] up for and access food assistance. This includes partnerships we have with other nonprofits like Share Our Strength and state agencies to help states offer Summer EBT, a federal program that allows parents to feed their kids during the summer when child hunger is at its worst.

As these broader SNAP changes continue to roll out across the country, it's important for families to stay informed, check whether they're still eligible, and seek help if they need it. Because when kids have enough to eat, they do better in school. They're healthier and happier, and they're better prepared to reach their full potential.

And isn't reaching our full potential what this country is all about? Code for America will continue to share insights on public services and benefits impacting communities everywhere. Check back soon. We're here to help.