Extra food assistance in 2020 cushioned low-income kids' emotional and mental well-being – despite spiking unemployment and food insecurity

Due to increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, overall rates of childhood mental, behavioral or emotional issues in poorer families stabilized in 2020, compared to 2016-2019 trends. Rates dropped from 49% to 45% in white families and 37% to 32% in Black families. In Hispanic families the rate remained fairly even, going from 30% to 32%.