The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Iowa Department of Education recently announced they will continue to support Iowa children eligible for food assistance year-round by enhancing and expanding already existing childhood nutrition programs and have notified the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that Iowa will not participate in the 2024 Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children, or Summer EBT, program. The decision not to participate, made by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, means the state will decline $28 million in Federal aid.

The Summer EBT program was started during the COVID-19 pandemic by the federal government in response to rising food insecurity at the time. The program provided families with children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals $40 per child per month during the summer to purchase food. Participating states are required to cover half of the administrative costs, which would cost an estimated $2.2 million in Iowa. Last summer, more than 1.6 million meals and snacks were served to children 18 and younger throughout Iowa as part of the Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option program. HHS and the Department of Education will continue existing programming currently being offered by state agencies and are exploring new opportunities to address family well-being and children’s health in Iowa.