Topics Related to Child and Family Well-Being
PRESS RELEASE — A new program is expected to provide food for nearly a million school children in North Carolina this summer. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, today announced its intent to administer the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (S-EBT) Program known as “SUN Bucks.”
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is committed to improving youth behavioral health in North Carolina and is leveraging the historic investment from the NC General Assembly to ensure everyone receives the care they need when and where they need it. One of the key initiatives is the Children and Families Specialty Plan — a first of its kind statewide health plan to ensure access to comprehensive physical and behavioral health services for Medicaid-enrolled children, youth and families served by the child welfare system. NCDHHS today released an updated
PRESS RELEASE — This week, Southwestern Child Development announced it will be closing seven child care centers in North Carolina’s westernmost counties effective Oct. 31, 2023. Combined, these early care and learning programs serve nearly 300 children from birth through 5 years old, the majority of whom receive child care subsidy or NC Pre-K services. Southwestern, county departments of social services and NCDHHS are working with other area child care providers, Head Start programs and local public schools to ensure as many children as possible continue to have access to quality early care
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Newborn Screening Program has been awarded a federal grant that supports enhancements to the state's newborn screening system. This funding is intended to improve health outcomes for newborns and children with disorders identified through newborn screening, and will improve access to treatment and follow-up care for babies born in North Carolina.
PRESS RELEASE - The Child and Adult Care Food Program helps eligible children and adults access healthy, nutritious food by reimbursing qualified child care programs, adult day programs and other non-residential care programs for meals and snacks served to enrollees. CACFP is administered federally by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and at the state level by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
PRESS RELEASE - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has become aware of a potential scam targeting Food and Nutrition Services beneficiaries. Within the last four days, at least 650 Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards have been compromised statewide, and more than 7,000 cards have been identified as potentially compromised.
Eight of North Carolina’s WIC and Public Health offices earned Breastfeeding Awards of Excellence from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service this year. Six won the Gold Award, and both of the Premiere Awards given this year – the most prestigious presented in the region – were claimed by WIC offices in North Carolina.
NCDHHS' Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is accepting comments on its WIC State Plan for Fiscal Year 2024 (Oct. 1, 2023 - Sept. 30, 2024) through Aug. 15.
Access to nutritious food is foundational for overall health and well-being. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services offers several programs to support individuals’ access to healthy food, including Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Changes are coming to these two programs due to the end of the federal public health emergency on May 11, 2023.
Gov. Cooper has declared April as the "Month of the Young Child" and April 1-7 as the "Week of the Young Child," encouraging all North Carolinians to support efforts that increase children and family access to high-quality early childhood education.