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Documenting Pandemic EBT for the 2020-21 School Year: State Perspectives on Implementation Challenges and Lessons for the Future. Research Report

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Documenting Pandemic EBT for the 2020-21 School Year: State Perspectives on Implementation Challenges and Lessons for the Future. Research Report
Language: English
Authors: Waxman, Elaine, Gupta, Poonam, Pratt, Eleanor, Lyons, Matt, Green, Chloe, Urban Institute
Source: Urban Institute. 2021.
Availability: Urban Institute. 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 202-261-5687; Fax: 202-467-5775; Web site: http://www.urban.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 54
Publication Date: 2021
Sponsoring Agency: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: COVID-19, Pandemics, School Closing, Online Courses, Distance Education, Hunger, Food, Lunch Programs, Breakfast Programs, Federal Aid, Federal Legislation, Barriers, Elementary Secondary Education, Summer Programs, Low Income Students, State Government, Government Role, Federal Government, Eligibility, Attendance, Program Administration, Data Collection
Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: Families First Coronavirus Response Act 2020
Abstract: The Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program was launched as an effort to address the loss of access to free and reduced-price school meals due to widespread school closures at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools reopened in a shifting mix of fully virtual, hybrid, and in-person formats and families lacked consistent access to school meals, these benefits were extended through the 2020-21 school year and were highly valuable to families in buffering the full extent of food insecurity they may have faced during this uncertain time. However, the complexity of administering this program was a fundamental barrier in providing timely support to families, who ultimately went without benefits for at least half of the school year. In this report, we dive into the challenges state administrators faced in launching this new program during the 2020-21 school year and reflect on considerations for the future. [This report was prepared by Urban Institute's Income and Benefits Policy Center.]
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2022
Accession Number: ED616283
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:The Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program was launched as an effort to address the loss of access to free and reduced-price school meals due to widespread school closures at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools reopened in a shifting mix of fully virtual, hybrid, and in-person formats and families lacked consistent access to school meals, these benefits were extended through the 2020-21 school year and were highly valuable to families in buffering the full extent of food insecurity they may have faced during this uncertain time. However, the complexity of administering this program was a fundamental barrier in providing timely support to families, who ultimately went without benefits for at least half of the school year. In this report, we dive into the challenges state administrators faced in launching this new program during the 2020-21 school year and reflect on considerations for the future. [This report was prepared by Urban Institute's Income and Benefits Policy Center.]