What Does WIC Provide?

Health screening including:

• Weighing and measuring to monitor growth.
• Identifying health risks.
• Checking blood iron levels.
• Immunizations

Nutrition and health education such as:

• How to use foods to improve your family's health.
• Parenting, especially about feeding your children.
• Healthy lifestyle choices - being active, avoiding tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

Breastfeeding support including:

• Information about the special benefits of breastfeeding.
• Information to help you decide if breastfeeding is right for you and your baby.
• How to continue breastfeeding when returning to work or school.
• Encouragement and help to continue breastfeeding.
• Connecting with other breastfeeding moms.

Help getting other services including:

• Medical and dental care.
• Basic Food Program.
• Access to food via food banks, community meals, etc.
• Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF).
• Drug and alcohol treatment.
• Find information on additional programs for which you may be eligible

Checks for nutritious foods

• Each client receives checks to buy over $50 worth of healthy foods each month.
• Women and children receive checks to buy milk, cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables, cereal, juice whole grains, eggs, and peanut butter or beans.
• All babies receive checks for baby food fruits and vegetables and baby cereal. Fully breastfeeding babies receive checks for additional baby food fruits and vegetables, baby cereal, and baby meats. For babies who are not breastfed, WIC provides checks for iron fortified formula.
• During summer months at participating WIC clinics, WIC clients can receive checks for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program. These checks allow them to purchase up to $20 per person ($40 per household) of Washington grown fresh fruits and vegetables at authorized Farmers Markets. To read more about the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, visit http://nutrition.wsu.edu/markets/index.html

Return to Information for Clients & the Public

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Washington State Department of Health WIC Nutrition Program
111 Israel Rd SE, P.O. Box 47886
Olympia, Washington, 98504-7890

Last Update:  February 15, 2012
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