Greetings—

Food insecurity increases among households with children during the summer, when children no longer have consistent access to free or reduced-price meals at school. To address this gap in food assistance, Summer EBT, a newly launched federal program, provides grocery benefits to low-income families with children during summer months.

Urban Institute researchers, in collaboration with the American Public Human Services Association, surveyed state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) directors to better understand what challenges they faced and what supports could have been helpful when implementing Summer EBT.

Key findings include:

In 2024, 13 states did not opt into the program, citing an inability to match funds and a lack of timely guidance from the Food and Nutrition Service.
States that implemented Summer EBT had limited time to develop their plans and struggled to build data infrastructure, with 4 out of 5 states reporting out of date or incomplete student data as a challenge.
Other challenges included insufficient federal reimbursement to develop and operate an entirely new program, lack of staffing capacity, difficulty working with other state agencies, and an inability to issue benefits in a timely manner.

“To improve the program and increase uptake, the USDA could provide clearer program and data sharing guidance, more supports for data infrastructure, and greater program flexibility,” the researchers write. Read the report to learn more about how federal policymakers can improve Summer EBT by reducing the barriers states face to implementing and opting into the program.

If you have questions or would like to speak with the research team, please email me. I’m happy to connect you.

Sincerely,