The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity didn’t waste much time. This week it unveiled a new 120-page plan on how to create a healthier generation of children that included a section on early learning.
The report is packed with information, including a finding that among licensed child care sites in California, Head Start programs had the highest scores on meal quality.
But, this is not another report that only outlines the obesity problem in today’s youth. It also offers solutions and benchmarks, including an endorsement of quality rating improvement systems.
States should be encouraged to strengthen licensing standards and Quality Rating and Improvement Systems to support good program practices regarding nutrition, physical activity, and screen time in early education and child care settings. – “Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation: White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity Report to the President.”
The report is full of alarming findings that should spark action among educators and parents, such as that approximately one in five children are obese by the time they turn six.
Other findings include:
- “Between 1980 and 2001, the prevalence of overweight infants under six months almost doubled, from 3.4 (percent) to 5.9 (percent).”
- “Maternal smoking during early pregnancy is associated with a 500% greater risk of obesity at age 5, and a 260% greater risk at ages 9-10.
- “Many women return to work soon after their baby’s birth, yet 75% of employers do not offer accommodations for them to breastfeed or express milk at work.”
(See the report for footnotes.)
Early Ed Getting More Funding? U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan suggests the Obama administration may have more money coming for early learning.
“We were hoping in higher education, Bill, to have a significant influx of resources for early childhood education. That didn't happen. But we're going to actually going to reconfigure our proposed FY11 budget to put a lot more money in there.” – Secy. Duncan on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, 4/19/10.