The Women, Infants, and Children Program is a federal initiative to help women and their young children stay healthy, but it can be hard to fully understand what the program offers for single mothers. If you are a single mother, this page will help you get a clear understanding of what WIC is, how it works, and how you can enroll in the program.
What It Is:
WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program) aims to provide relief for pregnant women breastfeeding mothers, infants, and minor children up to the age of 5 years old. WIC participants are those that might have been at risk of malnutrition. The WIC program provides benefits such as nutritious foods as a supplemental source, clinics that offer nutritional education, health checks, and referral to services such as healthcare, welfare, and social support.
How It Works:
Not everybody that applies for WIC automatically qualifies for benefits, since only a set amount of funds are granted for the yearly WIC assistance services. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service administers the Women, Infants, and Children Program, but it gets administered on a local level by over 90 State WIC Agencies. There are also roughly 1,900 local WIC agencies, 10,000 clinics, and 50 State Health Departments that all participate in the WIC program.
Single mothers can apply for WIC, and may be eligible to receive benefits such as monthly WIC Food Packages, Breastfeeding Support, Nutritional Education, and Healthcare Referrals.
How to Apply for single mother benefits:
If you are interested in enrolling in the WIC program, you’ll have to apply at your local state agency, and not through the National Food and Nutrition Service. Your local WIC agency will then determine your needs and screen you for eligibility, after which benefits may or may not be granted. You can find your nearest WIC agency by using the online tool, and after you have contacted the office, you’ll be informed of what to take along to your appointment.
Alternatively, you can also get in touch with the National WIC Association Office by calling them at 202-232-5492. This step should only be followed if you cannot find the information you need to contact your local WIC agency, or if you need any questions answered regarding the program.
As you can see, the federal Women, Infants, and Children Program was designed to help women and their young children stay healthy and also to provide them with the best nutritional education in order to help spread awareness of healthy living. The WIC program can help increase the good health of you and your family members, and we hope that this post has helped you see where and how you can benefit from the initiative.
WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. It is administered in Illinois by the Department of Human Services (DHS) and is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Even if you or your family members are working, it can be hard making ends meet. The WIC Program may be able to help with the right food and advice on nutrition, health care and immunizations.
WIC enables parents to feed their children properly during critical periods of growth and development. The combination of nutrition education, nutritious foods and access to other health services strengthens families long after their WIC eligibility has ended.
WIC is a federal nutrition program that provides nutrition education, counseling and support, breastfeeding support, nutritious foods, health screenings, and referrals to other services.
The Marion County Health Department offers a late day once a month for appointments. The late day appointments are on the last Tuesday of every month. The hours are 9:00am to 6:15pm. If Tuesdays do not work, we are flexible in the scheduling.
WIC may be able to help YOU if you:
–are pregnant or breastfeeding
–have an infant or children up to age 5
–are working with limited income or have no income
–want to improve your family’s health with good nutrition
Eligibility Requirements
Three factors must be met for eligibility requirements:
1. You must be one of the following:
–a pregnant woman
–breastfeeding (up to one year after giving birth)
–a new mother (up to six months after giving birth; or
–a parent, guardian or caretaker who has an infant or child younger than 5 years of age
2. Must meet within the WIC Income Guidelines (see chart below)
3. Have a medical or health risk.
A screening by a WIC Certifying Health Professional must find that you have a medical or nutritional
health risk such as low iron, low weight gain during pregnancy or a diet that needs improvement.
To find out if you are eligible for WIC nutrition program, compare your salary to the WIC Income Guidelines.
WIC Income Guidelines: Guidelines for FCS Special Nutrition Programs during the Period 07/01/2024 to 06/30/2025. Based on 185% Federal Poverty Income Guidelines.
| Family Size | Annual | Monthly | Twice-Monthly | Bi-Weekly | Weekly |
| 1 | $27,861 | $2,322 | $1,161 | $1,072 | $536 |
| 2 | $37,814 | $3,152 | $1,576 | $1,455 | $728 |
| 3 | $47,767 | $3,981 | $1,991 | $1,838 | $919 |
| 4 | $57,720 | $4,801 | $2,405 | $2,220 | $1,110 |
| 5 | $67,673 | $5,640 | $2,820 | $2,603 | $1,302 |
| 6 | $77,626 | $6,469 | $3,235 | $2,986 | $1,493 |
| 7 | $87,579 | $7,299 | $3,650 | $3,369 | $1,685 |
| 8 | $97,532 | $8,128 | $4,064 | $3,752 | $1,876 |
| Each Additional Member Add | +$9,953 | +$830 | +$415 | +$838 | +$192 |
Annual FCS income guidelines for the WIC Program were obtained by multiplying the annual federal poverty guidelines and increment for each additional family member by 1.85 and rounding the results as necessary. Monthly (weekly) income guidelines for the WIC Program were obtained by multiplying the federal guideliens/increment by 1.85m dividing by 12 (52) and rounding the results upward as necessary.
Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity Forms
The ILLINOIS PARENTAGE ACT OF 2015 was passed by the 99th General Assembly last fall. The ACT provides methods and changes for the establishment of a parent-child relationship. Forms for Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP), Illinois Denial of Parentage and Rescission of Illinois VAP or Denial of Parentage Forms will be available to the public at both of our Health Dept. locations after Friday, Jan. 22. Also, you may download or order the forms from the Child Support Website at: http://childsupportillinois.com.
Non-Discrimination Statement
WIC does not require proof of citizenship
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800)-877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-From-0508-0002-508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA> The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
2) fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3) email: program.intake@usda.gov