The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federally funded nutrition program. It is designed to safeguard the health of women, infants and children up to age five who are at nutritional risk and meet certain requirements. At no cost to these participants, the WIC nutrition program provides:
Food nutrition is important in all stages of life, but particularly so in the earliest years. During this timeframe, good nutrition serves as a critical building block for a healthy future. By modernizing and strengthening WIC, we can help ensure more families eligible are able to get the nutrition they need for their health and well-being.
Participation in the WIC nutrition program is associated with not only better nutrition for families, but also safer pregnancies, healthier births and lower infant mortality. Children who participate in WIC are also likely to have better academic and dietary outcomes. Also, WIC program participants often show significant savings in healthcare costs when compared to non-participants.
There is an easy WIC pre-screening tool to help families check their eligibility for the WIC program. This WIC prescreening tool is available in multiple languages and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
Please note that this is not an application for WIC benefits. Instead, it reviews and indicates your eligibility to participate in the program. For help with the tool, individuals may call Healthcare Network’s multi-lingual Community Outreach Team at 239.675.7080.
To apply for participation in the WIC nutrition program, contact your local office. They provide information to help you schedule an appointment. Applicants will be advised on what to bring to their appointment in order to verify eligibility.