This report responds to the requirement of PL 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Direct certification is a process conducted by the states and by local educational agencies to certify eligible children for free meals without the need for household applications. 

This study was undertaken to understand why some SNAP participants shop at farmers markets and others in the same geographic area do not.

This report, the first of three, addresses the first objective of the study, which is to explore the characteristics and experiences of WIC participants.