A Look Back at State and Local Policy Wins

• Improving nutrition standards in childcare settings.

• More farmers’ markets accepting SNAP EBT benefits.

• Zoning laws to support community gardens and urban agriculture.

• Healthier food at corner stores, food banks, and grocery stores.

• Improving physical activity standards in childcare settings.

• More and better park and play spaces.

• Complete Streets policies to support walking and biking.

• Shared use agreements to expand use of fields and parks.

• Creating farmers’ markets and community gardens.

• Eliminating food deserts.

• Helping corner stores offer fresh, healthy foods.

• Developing new parks, playgrounds, trails, and sidewalks.

Voices for Healthy Kids

A Collaboration between RWJF and the American Heart Association

From 2013 to 2023, Voices for Healthy Kids contributed to almost 400 policy wins at the state and local levels, impacting nearly 300 million people in almost every state. A progress report on the project found:

• Investments in SNAP incentive programs.

• All school food meets quality nutrition guidelines.

• State sugary drink taxes to reduce consumption.
• Programs to make local produce more accessible for residents with low incomes.

• Empowering community leaders to identify barriers to SNAP enrollment.

• Supporting supermarket and healthy food retail development.

• Prohibiting unhealthy food and beverage marketing to students.

• Providing school meals to kids on summer break.