Reducing Administrative Burden for "Backpack" Food Programs

Timeline

Summer 2026

Description

This project examines “backpack” food programs for elementary school children. Administered primarily by non-profit organizations, backpack programs typically send non-perishable foods home with children to provide food for the child during non-school hours. Although few of these programs have been evaluated, a small literature finds that they can successfully reduce child food insecurity and boost reading and math scores among low-income elementary school children.

While these programs provide additional sustenance to children, the provision of shelf-stable non-perishable items that are typically higher in sodium, sugar and fat than perishable items contradicts standard public health recommendations to replace fats and sweets with fresh foods, including vegetables and fruits and may reinforce unhealthful nutritional habits. The Power Packs Project (PPP), a weekend food program for elementary school students eligible for free and reduced lunch in rural Pennsylvania, provides perishable foods, including fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy, with the explicit goals of teaching families to cook, encouraging family meals and improving nutrition while also reducing food insecurity. PPP thus provides not only more nutritious food than other backpack programs, but an opportunity to set healthful food routines.

This study will test a two-stage field experiment to reduce administrative burden at both the enrollment and engagement decision-points in PPP use. Along with collaborators Rebecca Ryan (Georgetown), Carolyn Barnes (University of Chicago), Pamela Herd (University of Michigan), Elizabeth Linos (Harvard) Ariel Kalil (University of Chicago), Gassman-Pines has conducted the experiment in over 20 PPP elementary schools in two school districts. The project has three aims:

• to assess the impact of an administrative and behavioral intervention on enrollment by comparing treatment and control group enrollment rates at the start of two program years
• to assess the impact of a behavioral intervention on engagement among enrolled families over the course of two years
• to estimate the effect of the PPP program on children’s academic and behavioral wellbeing

Team

Members

Shuyi Qiu, graduate fellow

Leaders

Team Advisor: Anna Gassman-Pines, Ph.D. (Public Policy)