HHS allocates nutrition funding to US children’s programs

The US Health and Human Services (HHS) is allocating over US$61 million in supplemental nutrition funding to the 290 Head Start programs. These funds will support nutrition services, promote healthy eating habits, and aid access to nutrient-dense foods for over 100,000 children and families.

Under the HHS, the federally funded Head Start programs are designed to aid early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement in low-income families.

“When children have access to fresh, nutritious food, we don’t just feed them for a day — we set them on a path to lifelong health,” says HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “By putting nutrition at the center of health, we are restoring trust in our public health system and delivering on our promise to Make America Healthy Again [MAHA].”

The grants seek to help grow Head Start programs’ capacity to improve the health and well-being of children and families.

“This investment marks a sea change to prioritize prevention over treatment by nourishing the minds and bodies of young children — tackling chronic disease at its roots and restoring the health of our nation’s most vulnerable,” says Andrew Gradison, Acting Assistant Secretary at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a government agency that funds Head Start programs.

Building healthy community

The department reveals that 50% of the fund will be used for materials, supplies, and equipment for farm-to-table strategies, cooking demonstration kits, and commercial-grade appliances.

Meanwhile, 25% will go to food service upgrades, like modernizing kitchen facilities to prepare fresh foods and breastfeeding spaces, and obtaining locally sourced, nutritious food items. 

The other 25% of the fund will go into nutrition education, workshops, community events on nutrition best practices, and consultation with dieticians or nutritionists.

“The response to this nutrition funding opportunity was tremendous, demonstrating the deep commitment Head Start programs have to children’s health and well-being,” comments Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development. 

“The early years are the most powerful window to shape lifelong habits, and this funding allows us to make America healthy again when it matters the most: during the foundational years of child development.”

The HHS details that one program in Michigan will receive US$2,000 for family education workshops on nutrition. Another in Puerto Rico will get US$3.4 million for kitchen renovations and developing new farm-to-table partnerships. 

Meanwhile, in Florida, US$138,600 will fund a hydroponic garden and raised garden beds for toddlers’ hands-on agricultural and nutritional learning experiences.

Selected programs expect to receive funding over the next 12 months and the HHS expects Head Start families to gain long-term benefits. 

The move comes shortly after MAHA released its strategy to make children “healthy again.” However, critics pointed out gaps in concrete regulatory action against unhealthy foods. 

UNICEF declared that 2025 marks a “historic turning point.” Its latest report found that global obesity among schoolgoers overtook undernutrition rates for the first time.

The Donald Trump administration also recently scrapped the Household Food Security Reports, which are an essential tool for tracking hunger in the US.