WARMRegards 06/2018 – Keep WIC Clients with Older Children
Welcome back to WARMRegards! We’re restarting our popular e-newsletter for WIC agencies and Nutrition Ed programs so we can once again bring you the latest developments in technology, applications, and tips-of-the-trade to support you in reaching and retaining more WIC clients.
We’d like to start with an exploration of a topic that has been extremely popular amongst our readers: retaining WIC clients after the child turns one. The Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA reports that 85% of eligible children under the age of one participate in WIC. This results in about half of all US-born infants benefiting from WIC services. From ages one to four, however, the percentage of participants drops to just 53%. With children being eligible to receive WIC benefits up to year five, that’s a lot of children missing out on nutrition services they need to grow up healthy and strong.
Barriers to Retention
What is it that’s stopping families from remaining in the WIC program as their child ages? We’ll look at several factors that could explain this decline, as well as ways to overcome these barriers and increase retention rates.
The National WIC Association cites socioeconomic status as a possible reason for client drop-off. Higher income families or families where the parents have received a higher education are less likely to remain with WIC after their child turns one. In many cases, these families relied on WIC for help with formula but left the program as their children were weaned. Additionally, as children get older, many families return to a dual-income household and feel they no longer need the extra support provided by WIC, though they may still be eligible.
Another major reason for low retention rates mentioned by the National WIC Association is that parents lose track of appointments or are unable to find appointment times that work with their schedules. With busy lives, these parents might opt for food stamps, which are easier to apply for and retain.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that in-person visits to WIC agencies can be extremely difficult for many families, particularly those without adequate public transportation. Of course, WIC policies require in-person visits every six months, making this a difficult issue to overcome.
Retention rates also may remain low because families don’t realize they’re still eligible for WIC. Clients may have difficulty finding WIC policies and determining their eligibility as their child ages. In households with multiple children, each member of the family may have a different certification period with different end-dates. The confusion this creates may prompt parents to give up and forfeit WIC benefits, whether intentionally or by accidentally missing their certification appointments.
Keeping Clients Well-Informed to Keep Them Coming Back
The barriers to WIC client retention include higher income levels, difficulty getting to appointments, confusion about eligibility, and cumbersome certification processes. The most important thing you can do to retain WIC clients facing these issues is to keep them informed – about everything from policies to appointments.
WIC clients who move up to a higher income level may not realize they’re still eligible for benefits. Or, like one parent in a study conducted by the National WIC Association, they may want to leave those benefits for “someone else who could use it more.” Letting them know that every WIC clinic’s caseload is different, and checking eligibility for them, might encourage them to remain with the program as their children age.
Even low-income families may not realize they’re eligible for WIC benefits. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains that recent declines in WIC caseloads certainly raise the question about whether the policies are difficult to understand or the administrative practices are too cumbersome. The best way to reach and retain these families is by providing them with clear, easy-to-understand outlines of the policies and simple steps to follow to apply.
A collaboration of Central New York WIC agencies have developed an online eligibility screening tool that will allow potential applicants to check their eligibility quickly and easily. For busy, young mothers who prefer electronic communication over face-to-face, programs like this can be the push they need to join WIC and begin receiving benefits.
To retain these on-the-go families, consider utilizing a two-way chat app that allows you to reach out to clients in a safe, secure way that doesn’t violate any confidentiality laws. This would enable you to both send out important information and respond to any questions the client might have. A simple texting program, like Colorado’s Texting for Retention Program, makes scheduling and appointment reminders easy and allows WIC clinics to deliver links and information relevant to mothers of young children.
Streamlining the certification process can encourage families to remain with WIC as their children grow older. Look for ways you can ease the process and get the most out of those in-person appointments. Young mothers in particular prefer to handle as many interactions as possible electronically. Requiring only the two mandated in-person visits yearly and providing these mothers with valuable electronic assets (such as videos on topics of interest like breastfeeding and nutrition) may keep these clients from dropping out of WIC.
Remember that every WIC client is different, so their needs won’t be one-size-fits-all. WIC clinics that offer flexibility are more likely to retain clients. Offer things like online appointment requests, video chats, and web counseling to aid busy mothers who want the information and services WIC provides, but may not have the time to make multiple clinic visits. The most important thing you can do to retain WIC clients after the child turns one is to make information and certification requirements easy to access.
By Shela Ward
For past issues of WARMRegards, as well as other valuable WIC assets, visit digiconow.com.