The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program is a federally funded health and nutrition program providing women & young children in low-income families with services to help improve pregnancy outcomes, reduce infant mortality, and give children a healthy start through nutritious food and education. These services include nutrition counseling & education, breastfeeding support and coaching, a health resource library plus vouchers for supplemental foods.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR WIC?
To qualify for WIC, you must meet income guidelines and be in any of the categories below:
- a pregnant person
- a person breastfeeding a baby under 1 year of age
- a person who was pregnant or had a baby in the past 6 months
- infants and children (including foster kids) age 1 to 5 years
- babies and children cared for by their fathers, other guardians, or foster parents
To see if you qualify, take the WIC Eligibility Assessment (this online tool is only a preliminary assessment). You can also schedule an appointment at your county health department WIC clinic. At the appointment, you will need to have Proof of Identification, Residency and Income for the applicant, infants and each child (one form of ID per person is required). WIC staff will check/verify that you and your family qualify.
WHAT DOES WIC PROVIDE?
WIC helps growing families by offering:
- vouchers to purchase healthy foods such as milk, eggs, bread, cereal, juice, peanut butter, and other authorized foodstuffs from WIC-authorized merchants
- nutrition information and health education to help families eat well and be healthy
- breastfeeding support and information
- referrals to healthcare and other community services
WIC Facts:
- if you participate in another assistance program, you may be automatically income-eligible for WIC
- breastfeeding mothers are eligible to participate in WIC longer than non-breastfeeding mothers
- more than half of the infants in the U.S. participate in WIC
- WIC participants support the local economy through their purchases
- WIC works with farmers markets to help increase participant access to provide fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables
For general information about the WIC program, contact your county health department.
For more information on the Georgia WIC program: https://dph.georgia.gov/WIC.
Last Updated on September 30, 2022
