© 2025 | Jefferson Public Radio
Southern Oregon University
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
541.552.6301 | 800.782.6191
Listen | Discover | Engage a service of Southern Oregon University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Oregon WIC Staffers Do More Than Nutrition

Oregon Women, Infants and Children

Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, is more than a food program. A new study finds while serving families with health and nutrition services, WIC employees frequently recognize and address developmental and behavioral concerns in children.

The study, published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, found WIC staff go outside their scope of work to talk with families about problems beyond nutrition. Study co-author Julie Reeder has been with WIC for 16 years. She says staff members tend to hear most about developmental delays related to speech and behavior.

Credit Oregon Women, Infants and Children

“We’re talking about not socially interacting with other children in the way that you would expect for that age and stage of their development,” says Reeder. “Not talking at a certain age, it could be other delays with their motor development.”

Reeder says they were surprised to find most WIC staffers talk to parents about concerns like these on a weekly basis. The research also found that those staffers don’t feel connected with the early intervention resources or pediatric health care providers that could help.

The WIC program is federally funded and Reeder says at this time, they are in a position to serve any interested family.

Copyright 2017 KLCC

Tiffany Eckert is a reporter for KLCC, the NPR member station in Eugene, Oregon. Her reporting comes to JPR through the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
Recent threats to federal funding are challenging the way stations like JPR provide service to small communities in rural parts of the country.
Your one-time or sustaining monthly gift is more important than ever.