Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children – National Workforce Strategy Development

This project is part of a joint agency initiative between FNS and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) that is expected to cultivate comprehensive and sustained solutions for WIC Workforce Development. The joint agency initiative aims to strengthen the diversity and cultural competency of the WIC workforce, with the goals of increasing: 1) WIC participation through reaching those populations that are eligible, but not enrolled and 2) WIC participants’ likelihood of adopting nutrition education and breastfeeding support recommendations. Strategy development related to cultural representation and culturally responsive care should, at a minimum, include cultural competency to serve Black, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native WIC participants and include strategies for State/local agencies, which include Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) and territories, to identify and meet targeted needs that are not captured in this list. Cultural competency in this context is also recognized as broader than race or ethnicity and includes socioeconomic and other cultural factors that may affect the efficacy of WIC Program services. For each implementation project, the WIC Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center will support the development and implementation of a management and outreach plan for engaging with WIC State and local agencies, Tribal Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutes (MSIs) and/or underserved communities to include the incorporation of DEIA outcomes and activities (e.g., Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)). WIC Workforce Implementation Projects will align with the National WIC Workforce Strategy including approaches that will increase the diversity and cultural competency of the WIC workforce and address barriers to recruitment and retention of WIC Staff.