Strengthening the Workforce Behind WIC: I Matter
Overview
WIC depends on a skilled workforce, yet most improvement efforts focus on participants rather than the people delivering services.
The I Matter Project: Staffing Models and Training for a Stronger WIC Workforce (I Matter Project) takes a different approach. It is a five-year initiative designed to support and strengthen the WIC workforce by providing resources, training, and recommendations to reinforce staffing models, compensation, and competencies.
Challenge: Strengthening a Vital Workforce
If we want stronger WIC programs, we must invest in the workforce behind them. WIC programs across the states, territories, and Tribal organizations rely on a dedicated workforce to deliver nutrition support. The project asks a simple question: What staffing models, training approaches, and support systems are needed to strengthen that workforce?
Solution: Engaging the WIC Workforce
Altarum works collaboratively with project partners to engage and communicate with the WIC workforce and evaluate the effectiveness of project activities. We provide support across the three core project components:
- Learning Labs: Quarterly virtual professional development sessions concentrating on skills relevant to specific WIC roles, sharing program updates and new tools, and fostering collaborative learning.
- Workforce Advisory Boards: Nine advisory boards, composed of WIC staff at all levels from across the United States, Territories, and Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), share insights and recommendations to better represent the experiences, needs, and priorities of the WIC workforce.
- Formative Research: Examines current staffing models and job functions across WIC at various levels to develop recommendations for improved staffing models and fair and competitive compensation.
Results: Insights to Shape the Project
The project is ongoing through 2029. We share insights and recommendations with the project team based on evaluations from Learning Labs and Workforce Advisory Boards. This includes identifying key topics needed for training opportunities and highlighting the most urgent and unresolved staffing issues; these insights are helping shape the project's future steps as it works toward its objectives.
The I Matter Project website and the quarterly newsletters we develop help keep the WIC workforce engaged and abreast of project progress. Sign up to receive updates about the project.
This project is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) WIC Workforce Development Initiative and supported by USDA Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The project is led by the University of Minnesota, in partnership with Altarum, ACET, Inc., Diversify Dietetics, and the National WIC Association.