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2 Unfortunately, nearly two-thirds of children and pregnant parents in the District who are eligible for WIC miss out on the beneficial program. WIC is a federally funded program - with annual discretionary funding voted on by Congress - that operates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. WIC improves birth outcomes and enhances nutrition, health care, and cognitive development for children. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly referred to as WIC, is a public health nutrition program that provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and health care referrals to low-income adults 1, infants, and children up to age five who are at nutritional risk.

Good nutrition is important in all stages of life, but particularly in the earliest years, when it serves as a critical foundation to a healthy future. This dangerous downward trend deprives thousands of the District’s children living in low-income households of the benefits of WIC, which are important to their healthy growth and development. In order to reduce the stigma of participation in WIC, the District can allow for online purchases by completing the transition from vouchers to electronic benefits in 2021.Īcross the country, and particularly in the District of Columbia, fewer adults and children are participating in the federal-state Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program.The District can improve outreach through funding data systems that allow WIC to identify potentially eligible residents based on their enrollment in other programs.Roughly one-third of District residents who are eligible receive benefits, and prior to the pandemic WIC participation had been declining for a few years.

WIC participation contributes to healthier births, improved infant feeding practices, more nutritious diets, better access to health care for children, and academic development.