Webinar on Physical Activity in Child Care, Updates on Child Nutrition Reauthorization, National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and Other Advancements in the Field

House Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) Bill Released June 10, 2010

• H.R.5504, Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, a bi-partisan bill, was introduced by Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, and Rep. Todd Russell Platts (R-PA), Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, on 6/10/2010.

• Like the Senate bill, the House bill includes many of the recommendations to promote children’s health in child care settings that came from the Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Conference in September. H.R. 5431, Rep. McCarthy’s Start Healthy Habits Early Act, introduced on May 27, 2010, served as the base for the majority of the improvements in healthy eating, physical activity and limited screen time in the child care settings.

• Provisions within the House CNR bill impacting child care include:

Improving Nutrition in Child Care Settings- Ensures that meals offered in child care settings reflect the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Provide guidance, technical assistance, and competitive grants to caregivers on nutrition and wellness issues important to promote children’s health and support the benefits provided by reimbursable meals and snacks. Recognizes and rewards high performing States and institutions that take a comprehensive approach to promote nutrition and wellness in child care programs participating in CACFP.

CACFP Nutrition Assessment- Authorizes a study to better understand the nutritional quality of meals served in CACFP

Meal Service for Children in Child Care- Authorizes home-based child care providers to offer an additional meal or snack for children in child care for over 8 hours in 5 states.

Simplifying Program Rules and Reducing Paperwork for Child Care and Community-based Programs-Provides CACFP sponsors with flexibility over administrative funds, eliminates the need for providers to resubmit duplicative paperwork each year, and eliminates paperwork and monitoring requirements that do not effectively identify erroneous payments.

Supporting Program Sponsors to Improve Access-Simplifies the administrative requirements for sponsoring organizations and increases the formula for reimbursement to sponsors for the purpose of meeting a recognized gap in administrative costs and current reimbursement.

Resource Sharing Between Programs-Allows the WIC program to share existing information and materials with CACFP providers to streamline nutrition messages, maximize resources, and minimize administrative burden on CACFP providers.

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month/Council

• On May 20^th, H.RES.996, a resolution designation September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month was passed.
• This resolution, introduced by Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) is intended to: 1. recognize the importance of preventing childhood obesity and decreasing its prevalence in the United States; and 2. request that the President encourage the Federal Government, States, tribes and tribal organizations, localities, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, other entities, and the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate programs and activities with the goal of promoting healthy eating and physical activity and increasing awareness of childhood obesity among individuals of all ages and walks of life.
• Along with the 75 supporting organizations that were included in the resolution language, an additional 60 organizations have joined Rep. Fudge on the newly formed Childhood Obesity Awareness Month Council. This council is intended to gather national support for the month.
• Within the council are 4 working subgroups: 1.Membership/Marketing/Outreach 2. Government Relations 3. Communication/Messaging 4. Science/Research, Evaluation/Measurable Outcomes
• Organizations interested in joining the Council should contact LaDavia Drane from Rep. Fudge’s Office: LaDavia.Drane@mail.house.gov

MCHB Webinar on Physical Activity in Child Care 6/16

• The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) is pleased to announce an upcoming DataSpeak program titled “Physical Activity in Child Care Settings: Research Findings and Policy Implications”.
• This program will take place on Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 2:00-3:00pm, ET (1:00-2:00pm CT; 12:00-1:00pm MT; 11:00am-12:00pm PT).
• This DataSpeak conference will present research findings on physical activity among preschoolers in child care settings. Data on childrens’ physical activity levels will be presented, along with information on associated demographic and environmental factors. Presenters will also discuss best practice guidelines and programmatic and policy-level opportunities for increasing physical activity in child care settings.
• Please <http://altarum.cvent.com/event/dataspeak> click here to register<http://altarum.cvent.com/event/dataspeak> now or click here<http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/mchirc/dataspeak/events/2010/0616/index.htm> for full program information.

Grantmakers in Health May Newsletter Focuses on Obesity Prevention Efforts in Child Care

• The Healthy Kids, Healthy Future conference was cited as the first ever summit that brought together private, public, and government sector leaders in the early care and education, nutrition, physical activity, and child health fields.
• The full article can be found here: http://www.gih.org/usr_doc/GIH5-17-10.pdf

White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity Releases National Action Plan Including Early Childhood Recommendations

The Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures (HKHF) goal of encouraging collaboration among the obesity prevention and early education fields to support healthy child development is gaining momentum. A key sign of your influence is the inclusion of recommendations for early childhood in the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity’s action plan, released yesterday. Your voices were heard and your work was recognized in grand scale!

In February, First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Let’s Move! campaign to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. Concurrent with this effort, President Obama established the Task Force on Childhood Obesity to develop and implement an interagency plan that details a coordinated strategy, identifies key benchmarks, and outlines an action plan to end the problem of childhood obesity within a generation.

The HKHF community is extremely excited to see a set of recommendations for actions that can be taken very early in a child’s life, when the risk of obesity first emerges. Even further, the recommendations outlined in the Task Force Action Plan closely align with expert recommendations from the September HKHF conference.

The first of chapter of the action plan is Early Childhood. This chapter provides recommendations for reducing the risk of obesity in the early years of a child’s life, including: prenatal care, breastfeeding, chemical exposures, screen time and early care and education.

Specific recommendations pertaining to Early Care and Education include:

• The Federal government, incorporating input from health care providers and other stakeholders, should provide clear, actionable guidance to states, providers, and families on how to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and reduce screen time in early child care settings.

• 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.

• The Federal government should look for opportunities in all early childhood programs it funds (such as the Child and Adult Care Food Program at USDA, the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start, military child care, and Federal employee child care) to base policies and practices on current scientific evidence related to child nutrition and physical activity, and seek to improve access to these programs.

A benchmark for success as outlined by the Task Force is:

• Increased number of states will adopt more stringent licensing standards that include nutri­tion, physical activity, and screen time that align with Caring for our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards, 3rd edition and coordinate across systems with Pre-K, Head Start, and child care. New or enhanced data sources may be needed to monitor progress in this area.

No population could benefit more from Let’s Move! than our nation’s youngest children. As you know, child care settings provide a largely untapped opportunity to address the obesity epidemic, with the potential to impact the health of an entire population. The action plan highlighted several example of evidence-informed initiatives and interventions to combat obesity in early childhood settings, all of which were highlighted at the HKHF Conference:I am Moving, I am Learning; Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC); and Nemours’ multi-sector approach in Delaware.

The recommendations included in the action plan are concise and provide a clear path for federal, state and local leaders, both in the public and private sectors, to take action. As members of the Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures community, you have already greatly impacted the field by supporting changes that align with these recommendations. We encourage you to continue collaborating to move the field forward and look forward to reporting on the changes in the early care and education settings that support healthy eating and physical activity in our nation’s youngest children.

Legislation Supports Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Limited Screen Time in Child Care

Support The Healthy Living Starts Early Act of 2010

The Healthy Living Starts Early Act of 2010, introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), identifies the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) as a nutrition program that contributes to the healthy growth and development of young children. This legislation will improve the nutritional value of the foods served through CACFP and better promote the health and wellness of young children by:

– Revising the nutrition standards for meals, snacks and beverages served through CACFP to make them consistent with the most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines;

– Providing education and encouragement to participating child care centers and homes to provide children with healthy meals and snacks, daily opportunities for physical activity, and to limit screen time;

–Increasing the USDA training, technical assistance and educational materials available to child care providers, helping them to serve healthier food;

– Authorizing ongoing research on the nutrition, health and wellness practices, as well as the barriers and facilitators to CACFP participation, in child care settings;

– Requiring interagency coordination focused on strengthening the role of child care licensing in supporting good nutrition, health and wellness and maximizing the value of CACFP; and

– Reducing administrative burdens for CACFP sponsors and providers.

Click here for more information on the bill (pdf) and here for the value of the CACFP program (pdf)

Please show your support and sign on to the letter HERE!

New Funding Opportunity to Improve Health and Wellness in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

We are excited to share with you a new funding opportunity to improve health and wellness for children in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

State agencies that administer the child care component of CACFP are eligible to apply for USDA Child Care Health and Wellness Grants. The purpose of the grants is to support projects that improve the health and nutrition of children in child care settings.

State agencies are required to use at least fifty percent of grant funds to award sub-grants to local institutions, such as CACFP sponsoring organizations and child care centers participating in CACFP.

This is an opportunity for states, sponsors and others to work together to bring new funding into your state to the improve health and wellness of children in CACFP.

USDA will give priority to proposals that include activities that promote nutrition and physical activity in child care settings and that:

• Reflect the recommendations of the most recent version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the most recent scientific knowledge;

• Provide technical assistance and training to sponsors and providers of child care centers and family and group day care homes in implementing State or local initiatives designed to improve the health and nutrition of children;

• Perform outreach campaigns on the state and local level that are designed to increase access to the program in underserved areas and populations; and

• Make innovative use of technology to provide, and education to promote the nutrition, physical activity, and health of children.

The deadline for state agencies to submit applications is June 18, 2010. Letters of intent to submit applications are due by April 19, 2010.

Link to the USDA website for additional information including the guide with details on the request for state applications: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/care/Grants.htm

With the Arrival of Spring Comes Exciting Advancements in Child Care

Along with the long awaited arrival of spring has come the anticipated arrival of a number of policy advancements and opportunities to effect change in the field of obesity prevention in early education and child care settings.

An important opportunity for you to share your opinion is   through the First Lady’s Let’s Move Campaign.  Public comments on Let’s Move , due on Friday March 26^th, will be considered by the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, which is currently developing of a national action plan to address the childhood obesity epidemic. As experts in the field, we strongly encourage you to provide input supporting the need for multi - sector work in early care and education settings.

Just this morning, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This bill would reauthorize the Child Nutrition  Act and includes an additional $4.5 billion for federal nutrition programs over the next ten years. As experts in the field of obesity prevention in child care settings, your voice was heard. The bill includes  the following nutrition, physical activity and screen time provisions for the Child and Adult Care Food Program  that were introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)  in the Healthy Living Starts Early Act of 2010 :

· Requires the USDA to implement the recommendations for higher nutrition standards for meals, snacks and beverages served through CACFP to make them consistent with the most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines;

· Provides  education and encouragement to participating child care centers and homes to provide children with healthy meals and snacks, daily opportunities for physical activity, and to limit screen time;

· Increases training, technical assistance and tools (such as a handbook)  for child care providers,

· Authorizes ongoing research on the nutrition, health and wellness practices, as well as the barriers and facilitators to CACFP participation, in child care settings;

· Requires interagency coordination  to strengthen the role of child care licensing in supporting good nutrition, health and wellness and maximizing the value of CACFP; and

· Reduces   administrative burdens for CACFP sponsors and providers.

Some relevant research announcements from last week are below.   Please feel free to share others.

·         Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), released grant opportunities to support research on environmental and policy strategies with strong potential to promote healthy eating among children to prevent childhood obesity. The full call for proposals can be found at www.healthyeatingresearch.org.

·        Communities Putting Prevention to Work Initiative Grants, which amount to $372 Million dollars in the form of obesity prevention and wellness programs, were released by Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services. The cities, towns, rural areas, and tribal communities across America who will be receiving grants can be found HERE.

Once again, we appreciate all of your efforts to combat childhood obesity through policy and practice changes in early care and education settings. Please send us any updates from your work or additional news relevant to the Healthy Kids, Healthy Future agenda of supporting obesity prevention/health promotion in early care and education settings.

February is Filled with Opportunity to Effect Change in Child Care

February has been an exciting month for obesity prevention and health promotion in the early care and education settings! Many opportunities have allowed members of the Healthy Kids Healthy Future Steering Committee (HKHFSC) to leverage their expertise and influence the field.

1. The USDA has called upon the Institute of Medicine to undertake a study to review and provide recommendations to update the meal requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). As a means to do so, the Committee held a workshop on Tuesday February 23^rd titled: “Improving CACFP through Research, Outreach, and Education.” The goal was for experts in the field to present information to the committee on issues relevant to CACFP meal requirements.

Debbie Chang of Nemours was asked to testify to the committee, on which Geri Henchy, a member of the HKHFSC, sits. Debbie’s presentation highlighted Nemours’ successful policy and practice changes in Delaware CACFP. In addition to scaling DE CACFP meal requirements to the national level, Nemours recommends increasing opportunity for technical assistance and training for providers, further aligning USDA dietary guidelines with CACFP meal patterns in order to decrease confusion and complication in implementation of standards and ensuring that healthy meals are coupled with opportunity for physical activity and limited screen time.

Nemours’ recommendations were consistent with those of other speakers, including Lynn Ouderkerk, Assistant Director of the Child and Adult Care Food Program in the New York State Department of Health and chair of the CACFP Forum.

More information on the IOM Committee can be found HERE.

2. A second opportunity for experts in the childhood obesity field to present analysis of the childhood obesity epidemic will take place on Tuesday March 2 at the National Press Club (NPC). The March edition of Health Affairs, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is devoted to childhood obesity. Among the topics to be addressed include:

· What are current trends in childhood obesity in the U.S.?

· What is contributing to the problem?

· What solutions can be implemented to build a healthier future for America’s children?

· What roles should federal, state and local governments; schools; businesses; and families and parents play in combating childhood obesity?

Speakers include Bill Dietz of the CDC, Mary Story from RWJF and Debbie Chang of Nemours, all of whom are members of the HKHFSC. Bill, Mary and Debbie have been asked to present their respective findings to Members of Congress, congressional staff, academics, and other health care policy professionals at this event. Other keynote speakers include USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Regina Benjamin, Surgeon General of the United States.

More information on this event can be found HERE.

3. A third piece of news that merits attention is the proposal of a Resolution by Senators Gillibrand (D-NY) and Voinovich (R-OH), designating September 2010 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. The passage of this resolution would highlight the importance of addressing an epidemic that is preventing healthy development in our nation’s children as well as leverage the great work that advocates and leaders in the obesity prevention and health promotion field have been accomplishing. A corresponding resolution was proposed by House Representative Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11).

A copy of the resolution can be found HERE.

Nemours Joins Forces with First Lady and Partners to Address Childhood Obesity

We are extremely excited to announce that yesterday Nemours joined First Lady Michelle Obama at the announcement of her new campaign to end childhood obesity, LetsMove!. We also wanted to share that Nemours is working with the First Lady as one of the founding members of a new foundation formed to bring together the public and private sectors, other organizations, business and thought leaders, the media, and states and local communities to make meaningful and measurable commitments to fighting childhood obesity. At the announcement, Nemours Vice President Debbie Chang had the opportunity to speak with Secretaries Sebelius and Vilsack, as well as the Surgeon General, about child care settings and the need to focus obesity prevention in this area.

The Let’s Move Campaign shares many goals articulated at the Healthy Kids, Healthy Future conference and is focused on offering parents the tools and information they need; getting healthier food into our nation’s schools; ensuring that all our families have access to healthy, affordable food in their communities; and increasing opportunities for kids to be physically active, both in and out of school.

This initiative has three parts:

1. National Plan of Action: Yesterday, the President issued a Presidential Memorandum establishing the first ever White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity.  You’ll be pleased to see that this interagency Task Force includes the Secretaries of Health, Education and Agriculture, among others.  Like the Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Conference and Steering Committee, this Task Force is charged with collaborating across silos to meet the challenge of childhood obesity.  The Task Force will report to the President within 90 days a national plan of action to meet the national goal of eliminating childhood obesity in a generation.

2. New Foundation: To serve as a partner to the First Lady’s Office and Task Force, a new foundation, founded by The California Endowment, Kaiser Permanente, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Nemours, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, will serve as a nonpartisan convener across the private, non-profit and public sectors to accelerate existing efforts addressing childhood obesity and to facilitate commitments towards the First Lady’s national goals.

3. Administration Actions and Private Sector Commitments: At yesterday’s launch, the First Lady announced new Administration policies and benchmarks, and voluntary private sector commitments, including many of the recommendations we heard from you at the Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Conference.

As champions for obesity prevention in early care and education, we know you share our excitement that the First Lady has taken on childhood obesity as her signature issue.  The innovative work you have done in communities, states and nationally will be a key resource that Nemours can bring to this initiative.   We are committed to our shared goal of preventing obesity in children ages birth to five, and we pledge to offer this perspective as a founding member of the Partnership for a Healthier America.

More information about the Let’s Move campaign and the Partnership for a Healthier America:

Article in USA Today: Michelle Obama aims to end childhood obesity in generation

Press Release: New Foundation Will Bring Americans Together to Target Childhood Obesity

Let’s Move

Partnership for A Healthier America

White House Memorandum

Child Care 101: Overview and Everday Practice

The second Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Steering Committee meeting, entitled “Child Care 101: Overview and Everyday Practice,” was held on February 1. The discussion provided perspectives on the realities and current state of child care across the country.

Presenters offered an overview on a number of topics including:

• The layers of federal, state, legislative, and regulatory authority within the child care settings;
• The current state of public and private funding and potential opportunities given the released 2011 Federal Budget; and
• Perspectives from the inside of child care centers and family child care homes.

Helen Blank, Director of Leadership and Public Policy at the National Women’s Law Center, informed the group of the mixed Federal and State responsibilities for funding child care centers, the role that the Child and Adult Care Food Program(CACFP) plays in supporting the dietary needs of children in these centers, as well as the extent to which current resources are not sufficient in supporting the children who attend and staff who work at these centers.

Bob Siegal, National Director of Easter Seals Children’s Services, offered a view from inside child care centers. He explained two issues that significantly impact quality of care, whether it be family based or community based: 1) child care centers are currently overcrowded, understaffed and under-resourced and 2) providers’ income remains poor leading to frequent turnover.

Denise Dowell, Director of Early Learning and Care Programs, Civil Service Employees Association, AFSCME, presented information on the specific challenges for those who run family based child care homes. She expressed that one of the major obstacles is providing quality care for a group of children that often vary in age. A second unique challenge is the added difficulties of managing the administrative aspects of the business, including record keeping, buying/preparing foods, and providing referrals for families, while developing a child care program that supports healthy development.

The opportunity for questions and answers from the steering committee revealed a wide spread interest in the training and technical assistance available for these providers. The experts explained that training is not required in many states and that the resource and referral agencies, which are funded by the Child Development Block Grant program, struggle to provide support to many child care centers and family based care due to location and limited funding.

This meeting allowed for a better understanding of the family and community based child care perspective. With this information, steering committee members will be able to more strategically move forward with the development of agendas and work plans to address the childhood obesity in the 0-5 age range.

Childhood Obesity In the News

We are just one month into the New Year, but many exciting advancements in the childhood obesity prevention field have already occurred.

December marked the first meeting of the Healthy Kids, Healthy Future (HKHF) Steering Committee, a group of the nation’s top experts and leaders in the obesity prevention and early care fields. The members convened to discuss and establish a national action plan for moving the field forward in follow up to September’s HKHF conference. Members broke out to develop action plans in three areas: Policy, Best Practice/Tool Dissemination and Research/Monitoring/Evaluation. A second meeting of the Steering Committee, entitled “Child Care 101: Overview and Everyday Practice,” will be held on February 1. This meeting will allow experts in the child care field to present a perspective on the realities of current child care settings. Speakers will include: Helen Blank, Director of Leadership and Public Policy, National Women’s Law Center, Bob Siegel, National Director, Easter Seals Children’s Services, and Denise Dowell, Director of Strategic Campaigns, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), AFSCME. Updates from this meeting, as well as future forums will be posted on the www.healthykidshealthyfuture.com website.

The release of the The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010 is an extremely exciting advancement for the obesity prevention in early care and education field. For the first time, the Surgeon General’s vision of addressing obesity includes a recommendation for “creating healthy child care settings.” She is poised to partner with the First Lady, Michelle Obama, to address the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic. (http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/01/20100128c.html) . The Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, M.D., urges that “child care programs should identify and implement approaches that reflect expert recommendations on physical activity, screen time limitations, good nutrition, and healthy sleep practices,” all of which were key actions at the Healthy Kids, Healthy Future conference in September 2009. Action steps to support the Surgeon General’s goal of standardizing state regulations on physical activity, nutrition and screen time, are being addressed by the HKHF Steering Committee. Through changes in policy, dissemination and implementation of best practices, and continued development of the evidence base in research, the child care environment will become a healthier place for kids to grow and develop.

For the full statement from the Surgeon General, please click HERE

***Please send us any updates from your work or additional news relevant to the Healthy Kids Healthy Future agenda of supporting obesity prevention/health promotion in early care and education settings.

Support grant program to train early care and education staff

A second piece of exciting news that we would like to pass on to you is Senator Mark Udall’s (D-CO) introduction of an amendment to the Senate health reform bill that, if passed, enacted into law and funded, would establish a grant program to train early care and education staff in best practices for obesity prevention and health promotion.  This is exactly what many of you called for at the conference!  You can support this amendment by signing on to the attached letter per the instructions below from our friends at the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH).

Senator Mark Udall’s office is planning to introduce an amendment to the health reform bill that would promote physical activity, healthy eating, and childhood obesity prevention in the very important setting of the childcare environment. The amendment would establish a three year CDC pilot program that would provide grants to five state health departments (or other childcare licensing entities within the State) to provide or contract to provide training to staff at childcare centers and family childcare homes. The training would focus on healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices that could be implemented in child care settings. Childcare centers with trained staff would then receive grant funds to implement these practice and policy changes. Best practices and lessons learned would be disseminated at the conclusion of the pilot and would be incorporated into future CDC guidance documents.

With leadership from TFAH, Nemours and others provided input to this legislation which closely mirrors the successful model Nemours Health and Prevention Services implemented in Delaware. Attached is the text of the amendment, as well as a sign on letter of support. Senator Udall’s staff has requested a Friday deadline for sign on of the letter. If you have questions or would like to sign on, please contact Daniella Gratale of Trust for America’s Health at dgratale@tfah.org.

Supporting Documents

• Support Letter
• Amendment to Health Reform Bill