The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as “a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life.” This affects approximately nine million children, including those in transition. Food insecurity might last a short time, or it may be an ongoing challenge.
Childhood food insecurity is not only a financial problem, but also a health, educational, and job readiness problem. Children experiencing food insecurity are more susceptible to illness and may have growth and developmental issues. It can also impede the ability to concentrate and focus on academics, as well as contribute to social and behavioral problems.
Before concluding that a lack of motivation or self-direction is to blame for not reaching an annual goal or an inability to focus, think first about food insecurity. Address food insecurity by providing every transition student with an informational list of resources available in their community. Better yet, make it a point to discuss food insecurity as a routine part of independent living assessments! If access to nutritional food is not an item covered in the independent living assessment, make it one!
Let’s take a small step toward helping children experiencing food insecurity with a few suggestions:
- Ensure your school uses food assistance programs, such as school breakfast, school lunch, and after-school meals.
- Collaborate to create a school garden space.
- Collaborate to create a school pantry program, including a mobile option.
- Develop a backpack program.
- Connect the family to community resources.
We encourage you to spend time reviewing the resources below and to engage in your own self-directed education related to food insecurity. These resources are full of ideas, research, references, and classroom activities.
Resources
- Hunger 101 Curriculum for K-12 Instructors
- Food for Thought Program
- School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. "How Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Affect Academic Development and Success in School-Aged Students."
- Children’s Healthwatch Research Brief, Too Hungry to Learn: Food Insecurity and School Readiness
Bonus Tip
The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community invites you to join us in a free webinar engaging in courageous conversations about the nature of biases, the conditions that activate them, and how they can impact the communities served by Vocational Rehabilitation and other disability service systems.
Register Today!
This webinar will be held on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, from 12:00-1:30 (ET) and will feature Dr. Renae Azziz, founder, and director of Virtuoso Education Consulting. Azziz received her undergraduate and school psychologist training from Indiana University and earned her Doctorate in Education from The John’s Hopkins University.
To get an overview of what to expect, it is highly recommended to check out part one of Azziz’s presentation beforehand.