April 15, 2009
FAQs about the WIC Program
What is WIC?
- The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as the WIC Program
- WIC provides health screenings, free nutritious foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, referrals
To qualify for the WIC program, you need to be:
- Pregnant
- Breastfeeding
- Just had a baby
- Have a child under the age of five
- Have a nutritional need
- Meet income eligibility
- -- When pregnant, your unborn child counts as a family member
- If you or your children are income eligible for Food Stamps, Medicaid, Denali Kid Care, School Lunch or HeadStart and Alaska Temporary Assistance Program (ATAP) then your income meets WIC guidelines
- Foster parent of a child under 5
How long can you get WIC?
- Pregnant women may receive WIC until six weeks after they deliver their baby
- Breastfeeding women may receive WIC until the baby's 1st birthday
- Women who have had a baby but are not breastfeeding may receive WIC for six months after their baby is born
- Infants may receive WIC until their 1st birthday
- Children may receive WIC until their 5th birthday (they will need to re-apply every 6 months)
What to bring to a WIC appointment:
- ID for yourself and each child
- Proof of Alaska residency, such as a driver's license
- Proof of income (such as a paycheck stub) or proof of certification for Food Stamps, Medicaid, Denali Kid Care
- Proof of pregnancy if pregnant
Approved foods include:
- Milk
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Tuna fish
- Fruit juice
- Infant formula
- Peanut butter
- Pink salmon
- Carrots
- Cereal
- Dried peas
- Dried beans
New WIC Foods Starting October 1, 2009
- Cash voucher for fruits and vegetables
- Soy-based beverage and tofu as milk alternatives
- Whole grains, including more whole grain cereals, newly added whole wheat bread, buns and rolls, brown rice, etc.)
- Baby foods
- Canned bean choice over dried beans
- Canned sardines and mackerel for more variety of fish
Why Change?
- The last major revisions to the WIC foods were in 1980
- Improve the nutrition and health of WIC participants
- Give more participant choice
- Offer a wider variety of foods
Source: State of Alaska WIC
