Start Date: July 2022

ID #: 283-5106

Principal Investigator: Krista Ruffini, MP, MPA, MA, PhD

Co-Principal Investigator: Lauren Bauer, PhD

Organization: Georgetown University

Funding Round: 2021 Special Solicitation on COVID-19 and Socioeconomic Recovery Efforts

See more related research

Share


Pandemic EBT is a new program, operating since March 2020, that provides children who receive free or reduced-price meals with a voucher to purchase groceries for an amount equal to the value of school meals missed due to pandemic-related school closures. This program is being considered as a model for future nutritional assistance programs. Although Pandemic EBT reached most families of school-aged children, little is known about the program’s causal effects on food and economic hardship and how these effects vary across groups. This project will provide some of the first causal evidence on how the Pandemic EBT program affects well-being. Specific aims are to: (1) fill knowledge gaps on how nutritional assistance can help families overcome hardship when school is out of session, and (2) provide insights on how these effects vary across disadvantaged populations.

Start Date: 6/15/2022

Related Research

July 2022

Evaluation of Universal Free School Meals

The purpose of this study is to compare the impact of continuing Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) in Maine and California with the impact of de-implementing UFSM in control states during the 2022-23 school year. Specific aims are to examine: (1) school meal participation rates using administrative claims data from 20 states; and (2) household More

February 2023

Rapid Health Impact Assessment on Changes to School Nutrition Standards to Align with 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The national school breakfast and lunch programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are cornerstone federal nutrition assistance programs. School meals are one of the healthiest sources of foods for school-age children, which is significant as some children receive up to half of their daily calories at school. Policy opportunities in 2023 More

January 2023

Evaluation of WIC Online Ordering during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from an Oklahoma Grocery Store Chain

The COVID-19 pandemic is worsening the disparities in food access in the United States. As consumers have been increasingly using grocery online ordering services to limit their exposure to the COVID-19 virus, participants of federal nutrition assistance programs lack the online benefit redemption option. With the support of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), retailers More