Nearly Half Of California Families With Young Children Report Food Insecurity: EdSource

By Emma Gallegos

EdSource

Nearly half of parents of young children in California -- 47% -- say they struggle with food insecurity. That's higher than anything that's been recorded since Stanford's RAPID Survey Project began surveying parents of children under 6 in July 2024 about food insecurity.

The Rapid Response considers a family food insecure if a survey respondent identifies with two or more of these experiences developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

-The food that we bought just didn't last, and we didn't have money to get more.

-We couldn't afford to eat balanced meals.

-Did you or other adults in your household ever cut the size of your meal or skip meals because there wasn't enough money for food?

-If yes, how often did this happen?

-Did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn't enough money for food?

-Were you ever hungry but didn't eat because there wasn't enough money for food?

Over the course of the survey, an average of 32% of surveyed California parents experienced food insecurity, according to those guidelines. That jumped to 47% in January.

The survey also collected comments from parents who were food insecure, who described inflation and how it is affecting families.

"As a single parent caring for two children, accessing food is difficult. I'm dollars short of qualifying for CalFresh. I'm having to starve myself so my children can eat," an anonymous parent in Sacramento County said.

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