<<I am not anti-WIC, it is supposed to be a nutrition program. I really  think the WIC program should focus on the nutrition education for  families, healthy diets, obesity prevention and the like; give more  groceries, baby foods perhaps at 6 months, and breastfeeding support>>

Clearly there are differences to WIC from one area to another.  I live in Southern CA and am a WIC participant.  My local WIC office hands out LLL materials to mothers.  They do not give out breast pumps unless a mother asks for one.  They have the new Medela double electric which are only given out to breastfeeding mothers who are going back to work.  Any mother who asks for one who is not working gets the Medela one-handed manual pump.  As for the vouchers - while I don't get them myself b/c my 10 month old isn't on solids yet, they do give vouchers for jarred baby food fruits & veggies at six months and cereal.  As baby gets older, the mothers who receive formula get less & less.  All WIC participants, as of October 2009, receive $16 worth of vouchers for produce (fresh, frozen or canned - there are certain items we can't get like regular potatoes but the types of things I buy are fresh fruit, frozen veggies for my kids or yams which are a favourite in our household.  I can also get vouchers for baby cereal when baby is six months old.  They also started (again Oct 09) giving vouchers for whole grains - bread that says 100% whole wheat on the pkg; brown rice or wheat tortillas.  There are also vouchers for soy milk & tofu instead of milk & cheese etc. for those who cannot or do not consume dairy.  The forms often ask how many hours of TV a week my children watch and what sorts of activities they do.  Our office is tiny and I've overhead the counsellors telling moms that their child needs to watch less TV and get outside and learn to ride a bike or play tag or climb more to get moving so as to ensure that they don't develop "couch potato" habits.  

So my assessment as a long-term WIC user is that while 10 yrs ago when I was first getting WIC, they weren't as proactive, in the last few years they've made great strides in our local office to ensure that mothers are really encouraged to breastfeed both with the foods offered to nursing mothers vs. formula feeding mothers (the formula feeding mothers get fewer food vouchers) and by providing vouchers for healthier food choices.  I've been saying for years that it would be nice to be able to get produce and whole grain products on WIC and now I can!  I wish they would do away with the juice but it's certainly a step in the right direction.  And our WIC office has Medela and other posters around of mothers nursing their babies and signs posted talking about getting your baby to the breast within the first hour of life and a bulletin board showing celebrities who have breastfed - a wide variety of things to hopefully catch the attention of a variety of mothers.  I'm really pleased with the work that our local WIC office does to both promote breastfeeding and healthy eating & lifestyles.

Margo

"God illuminates us, then sends us into utter darkness to shine for Him"
Chuck Swindoll's version of an old Jewish saying of unknown (to me) origin

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