Schools brace for SNAP benefits lapse
学校为SNAP福利失效做好准备
Dive Brief:
潜水简介：
A prolonged federal government shutdown is causing some school systems and government agencies to provide outreach and extra supports for low-income families and children affected by the likely expiration of benefits.
联邦政府长期停摆，正迫使部分学区及政府机构主动开展帮扶服务，为那些受福利政策可能到期影响的低收入家庭和儿童提供额外支援。
Advocates for low-income families are warning that childhood hunger will increase when funding expires Nov. 1 for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — the nation's largest federal food assistance program.
低收入家庭权益倡导者警告称，美国最大的联邦食品援助项目 —— 补充营养援助计划（SNAP）的资金将于 11 月 1 日到期，届时儿童饥饿问题将加剧。
While SNAP benefits are of immediate concern, some school systems, advocates and policymakers also said they are worried about the long-term sustainability of free-or reduced-price school lunch programs, as well as access to Head Start services if the shutdown isn't resolved soon.
尽管补充营养援助计划（SNAP）的福利发放是眼下最受关注的问题，但部分学区、权益倡导者及政策制定者均表示，若政府停摆问题无法尽快解决，他们还担忧免费或低价校园午餐项目的长期可持续性，以及 “开端计划” 相关服务的可及性会受到影响。
Dive Insight:
潜水洞察：
About 39% of SNAP recipients are children under the age of 18, according to the National Education Policy Center.
根据国家教育政策中心的数据，大约39%的SNAP接受者是18岁以下的儿童。
The National School Boards Association is "deeply concerned" that more children will go hungry with the suspension of SNAP benefits, said Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs, the group's executive director and CEO, in a Thursday statement.
美国全国学校董事会协会执行董事兼首席执行官维吉娜・麦科特 - 雅各布斯在周四的一份声明中表示，该协会对补充营养援助计划（SNAP）福利中断后将有更多儿童面临饥饿问题深表担忧。
"Schools are doing everything they can to provide safe, stable environments where students can learn and thrive — but they cannot do it alone," McCotter-Jacobs said.
麦科特-雅各布斯说：“学校正在尽一切努力提供安全、稳定的环境，让学生能够学习和茁壮成长，但他们无法独自做到这一点。”
Some school districts, such as Washington's North Kitsap School District and Colorado's Adams 12 Five Star Schools, are messaging their communities about how they and their partners are supporting families and children in need through school meal benefits and local resources.
部分学区 —— 例如华盛顿州的北基萨普学区、科罗拉多州的亚当斯 12 五星学区 —— 正面向所辖社区发布公告，说明其正联合合作方，通过校园餐食补贴及地方资源，为有需要的家庭和儿童提供帮扶。
The federal government shutdown began Oct. 1 when Congress could not agree on a fiscal year 2026 budget. While most daily school operations were not expected to be impacted by a short-term government closure, the longer the shutdown lasts, the more impacts to school services there could be, according to K-12 organizations.
联邦政府于10月1日开始关闭，当时国会无法就2026财年预算达成一致。根据K-12组织的说法，虽然大多数日常学校运营预计不会受到短期政府关闭的影响，但关闭持续的时间越长，对学校服务的影响就越大。
During the shutdown, federal agencies have furloughed staff, hampering federal assistance to states and districts. At the U.S. Department of Education, about 95% of the non-Federal Student Aid staff were furloughed during the first week of the closure, according to the agency's shutdown contingency plan from Sept. 28.
政府停摆期间，联邦各机构已对工作人员实施停薪休假安排，此举导致联邦向各州及学区提供的援助工作陷入阻滞。据美国教育部 9 月 28 日发布的停摆应急预案显示，停摆首周，该部门约 95% 的非联邦学生资助项目相关工作人员已进入停薪休假状态。
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP and the National School Lunch Program, said in an Oct. 1 memo to regional and state directors of Child Nutrition Programs that funding for the school lunch program would be available at least through October.
美国。负责管理SNAP和全国学校午餐计划的农业部在10月1日给地区和州儿童营养计划负责人的备忘录中表示，学校午餐计划的资金将至少持续到10月份。
Even though SNAP is used as a proxy for school meal eligibility, the School Nutrition Association said the expiration of SNAP benefits will not affect children’s eligibility for free and reduced-price school meals.
尽管SNAP被用作学校膳食资格的代理，但学校营养协会表示，SNAP福利的到期不会影响儿童获得免费和低价学校膳食的资格。
The association is, however, encouraging its members to plan for increased participation among children whose families lose their SNAP benefits and to look into community-based support for struggling families, said SNA spokesperson Diane Pratt-Heavner.
然而，SNA发言人黛安·普拉特-海夫纳(Diane Pratt-Heavner)表示，该协会鼓励其成员计划增加家庭失去SNAP福利的儿童的参与，并考虑为陷入困境的家庭提供基于社区的支持。
According to Pratt-Heavner and an FAQ updated by SNA on Oct. 27, several states reported having inadequate funding to cover school nutrition programs in October early during the shutdown and said reimbursements to districts could be delayed should the shutdown extend beyond Nov. 1.
据普拉特 - 哈夫纳以及美国学校营养协会（SNA）10 月 27 日更新的常见问题解答显示，已有多个州反馈，政府停摆初期，其用于 10 月份校园营养项目的资金就已捉襟见肘；各州同时表示，若停摆持续至 11 月 1 日之后，向学区拨付的相关补贴款项或将面临延迟。
Pratt Heavner said since then, SNA has been hearing from state agencies that their issues were addressed. Additionally, in an Oct. 24 memo, USDA said it had transferred funds to the Child Nutrition Program to carry out the National School Lunch Program and other activities, according to SNA.
Pratt Heavner说，从那以后，SNA一直从国家机构那里听到他们的问题得到了解决。此外，据SNA称，美国农业部在10月24日的一份备忘录中表示，已向儿童营养计划转移资金，以开展全国学校午餐计划和其他活动。
School meals served in October are reimbursed by USDA in November and the November meals are reimbursed in December, according to Pratt-Heavner. SNA is continuing to monitor the situation, Pratt-Heavner said.
Pratt-Heavner表示，10月份提供的学校膳食在11月份由美国农业部报销，11月份的膳食在12月份报销。Pratt-Heavner说，SNA正在继续监测局势。
In Maryland, an Oct. 9 letter to districts from State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright said that if the federal government shutdown continued through November, the state education department would seek state approval to reimburse claims for November. If the shutdown goes into December, districts may be asked to rely on available food service fund balances to support the programs until the shutdown ends, the letter said.
在马里兰州，州教育总监凯里・赖特于 10 月 9 日致信各学区称，若联邦政府停摆状态持续至 11 月，州教育部门将申请州政府批准，为 11 月的相关支出进行报销。信件同时指出，若停摆延续至 12 月，各学区或需依靠现有餐饮服务基金余额维持项目运转，直至停摆结束。
This week, 25 states and the District of Columbia sued the USDA claiming the agency unlawfully suspended SNAP benefits for November during the government shutdown, according to reporting by Grocery Dive.
据Grocery Dive报道，本周，25个州和哥伦比亚特区起诉美国农业部，声称该机构在政府关门期间非法暂停了11月份的SNAP福利。
Meanwhile, Head Start advocates are sounding alarms that more than 65,000 children in 41 states and Puerto Rico will lose access to the early childhood program for youngsters from low-income families starting Nov. 1 due to the funding impasse.
与此同时，Head Start倡导者发出警报，由于资金僵局，从11月1日开始，41个州和波多黎各的65,000多名儿童将失去参加低收入家庭青少年早期儿童计划的机会。
The National Head Start Association is calling on Congress to resolve the budget debate now. “With each passing day of the shutdown, families are pushed closer to crisis," said Yasmina Vinci, NHSA's executive director, in an Oct. 27 statement.
全国领先协会呼吁国会现在就解决预算辩论。NHSA执行董事亚斯米娜·芬奇(Yasmina Vinci)在10月27日的一份声明中表示：“随着政府关闭的每一天，家庭都更接近危机。”
