The Connecticut Departments of Education and Social Services leveraged data-sharing agreements by matching student and SNAP benefit data to automatically certify SNAP Pandemic EBT for Connecticut students who receive free or reduced-price meals. As of October 22, 2021, the state had distributed $119.1 million in food benefits to nearly 282,900 schoolchildren, and 34,800 SNAP recipients in child care under age 6. This allowed the state to provide meals to students participating in only the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, but who do not receive food assistance through SNAP, Medicaid, or other food assistance programs. The state also partnered with food retailers to allow SNAP enrollees to use their benefits to purchase eligible food items online.
Connecticut’s statewide longitudinal data system, P20 WIN, brings together workforce, education, and supportive services data to inform educational policy and practice. Created by participating agencies, it houses extensive documentation, including data-sharing agreements, a robust data management process, and a data dictionary. In 2021, P20 WIN expanded to include information from state human service agencies, in addition to education and workforce agencies.