Policy & Practice | Summer 2024

ways APHSA and No Kid Hungry, in collaboration with so many others, partnered to support Summer EBT: January 2024: Summer Nutrition Summit APHSA and No Kid Hungry co hosted the Summer Nutrition Summit, which brought together more than 400 summer nutrition program practitioners from across the country to learn with and from one another about Summer EBT as well as the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP, a summertime meal program for children that comple ments Summer EBT). USDA was present to hear from and answer questions for Summer EBT and SFSP state, territory, and Tribal agencies, both informally during the meeting as well as through designated office-hour appointments and a closed-door session. Additional national partners such as Code for America were also present, and they discussed the significant technology and data plans and processes necessary for agencies to implement Summer EBT. In March—just one month after state, territory, and Tribal agencies submitted their Summer EBT plans for USDA review and approval—APHSA and No Kid Hungry launched the Summer EBT Community of Practice, providing an outlet for summer nutrition practi tioners to continue learning with and from one another about Summer EBT. With representation from 41 states, the District of Columbia, five Tribes, and one territory among SNAP, child nutrition, and other agencies, this community provides broad reach for Summer EBT practitioners. The com munity comes together monthly and has already enjoyed deep discussions about communication practices and progress on this first year of implementation. August 2024: Economic Mobility & Well-Being Conference In conjunction with APHSA’s annual Economic Mobility & Well-Being (EMWB) Conference, APHSA and No Kid Hungry are co-hosting a one-day Summer EBT Agency Convening. This convening is an opportunity to learn more about how Summer EBT went May 2024: Summer EBT Community of Practice

Pictured from left to right: Morgan McKinney, Process Innovation Associate, APHSA; Joshua Vaughn, Community Impact Council Strategic Consultant; LeAnne Auginaush, Indigenous Parent Leader; Zahava “Zee” Zaidoff, Community Advocate; and Chloe Eberhardt, Senior Program Manager, Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign at the Summer Nutrition Summit.

in 2024, plans for 2025, and how to improve next summer’s program. USDA and other national partners plan to join a portion of the session to hear directly from agencies. Additionally, there will be a panel discussion on Summer EBT highlighting agency efforts in 2024. Where Are We Going? It has been a busy year for APHSA and No Kid Hungry’s partnership, and we’re not done yet. Here are a few of the items on our collective to-do list: Summer EBT Implementation Tracker If you’ve seen one Summer EBT implementation, you’ve only seen one Summer EBT implementation. With so many flexibilities to operate Summer EBT in the varied contexts where the program will be available, one of the most frequently requested resources from program practitioners has been identifying how others are choosing to operate their Summer EBT programs. Whether you are looking for ideas to change your Summer EBT implementa tion for 2025 or will be implementing the program for the first time next year, our Summer EBT implementation tracker will be a great resource for you. Policy Analysis With the comment period for the interim final rule on Summer EBT extended through the end of August, APHSA and No Kid Hungry have been using every opportunity to lift up the voices of Summer EBT agencies by listening to their feedback about how the final rule could better serve their communities. Alongside our respective

organizations’ policy analyses, we are looking forward to seeing a final rule for Summer EBT that maximizes benefits for children and families while decreasing the financial and adminis trative burden on agencies. Once the final rule is issued, APHSA and No Kid Hungry will be working individually and collectively to share their analyses and collaborate with Summer EBT agencies on implementation. Engagement The Summer EBT Community of Practice continues to meet monthly. In addition to the community of practice, APHSA and No Kid Hungry will engage both individually and collectively with Summer EBT practitioners, pro viding implementation, advocacy, and research support to their respective collaborators. For both APHSA and No Kid Hungry, this engagement often leads to further engagement, including collaboration with many of our shared national partners. APHSA and No Kid Hungry had to run quickly alongside USDA and state, terri tory, and Tribal agencies to get Summer EBT up and running this year. As we look forward to 2025, we know there is much farther to run to ensure all states, territories, and Tribes participate in Summer EBT and to support agencies in their efforts to reach every eligible child and family. We will get there, together. To learn more about how APHSA and No Kid Hungry are supporting agencies in Summer EBT, please reach out to Chloe Green, Manager, Food and Nutrition Services, APHSA, at cgreen@aphsa.org.

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