USDA reports progress on child hunger, but still a long way to go to eradicate food insecurity for all Mainers and all Americans

Congress is currently deliberating over reauthorization of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which is crucial to protect school kids in Maine where the child food insecurity rate […]

Health Insurance Coverage in Maine: Heading in the Wrong Direction, Particularly for Children

New Census Bureau data released yesterday paint a bleak picture for Maine when it comes to improving access to affordable health coverage Maine is the only state […]

Mainers’ food security depends upon a stronger, improved SNAP

Over the course of one year, nearly 1 in 5 Mainers will rely on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to put food on the table. […]

Happy birthday to Medicaid and to the thousands of children whose lives it has saved

I will never forget one day when was in my late 20s, expecting my first baby. I happened to be alone with my grandmother in her tiny, […]

Infant mortality in the U.S. has declined dramatically since Congress created Medicaid 50 years ago

A paperwork obstacle is denying Maine kids healthy, nutritious school meals

We all know that being hungry can make us irritable, tired, and addled. We only have to watch the recent Snickers™ television commercials to appreciate we are […]

Testimony in Support of LD 380, Resolve, To Establish a Working Group to Aid with the End of Student Hunger

“School is hard enough without having to suffer the maladies that hunger causes. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 […]

Testimony in Opposition to Proposed Cuts to Early Child Care and Education

“Based on research conducted by MECEP last year, we can document the that vital funding for Head Start and child care services not only helps thousands of […]

Child poverty fell in 2013, but median household income continues to go nowhere

Child poverty in Maine fell back to pre-recession levels in 2013, but income for the median household and the overall poverty rate saw no improvement, according to […]

Maine’s Working Families Deserve to Earn a Living Wage

The new report by the Alliance for a Just Society, “Families Out of Balance: How a living wage helps families move from debt to stability,” provides sobering […]