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Local Advocacy – Child Nutrition and Physical Education
The Child Nutrition and WIC (Women, Infant,
Children) Reauthorization of 2004 requires local education agencies
that have federally funded school meal programs to look at what steps
they can take to improve physical activity and nutrition in schools.
Under this new law, local education agencies must establish wellness
policies before the 2006-2007 school year. This means that
during the 2005-2006 school year, District 15 worked on plans to make
our school a healthier place for our children. This new law
requires schools to include parents (as well as students, food
service staff, school board and administrators) in developing a
wellness policy. This is a unique opportunity for parents to get
involved.
The
wellness policy must include: nutrition education goals, physical
activity goals, (IL state law requires physical education (gym) 5 days
a week) nutrition guidelines for all food available on school
campuses, ways for everyone to get involved in developing the policy,
and school-based activities designed to promote student wellness and
plans for evaluating the policy.
District 15
began formally involving parents in January of 06 and began working on
creating a wellness policy for implementation during the 2006-2007
school year. D15 has a long history of working with the PTA and
parents and for seeking input on important policies that affect our
children. The wellness policy is no exception. Our PTA
currently has members on this committee and our work has continued
into the 2006-2007, 2007-2008, and 2008-2009 school year. The
drafted policy was reviewed by the District Policy team and went
before the School Board for a vote, and subsequent approval in 2006. The
policy is available on line at the district website
www.ccsd15.net The next step is working on the
implementation of this policy and creating workable procedures.
In 2008 a new policy was created and is being implemented in all the
D15 school for the 2008-2009 school year. To see the
brochure explaining this policy, please
click here
If you have any comments, questions or concerns regarding nutrition
and physical activity at Hunting Ridge, please feel free to email us
and your concerns will be taken to the wellness committee. Let
your voice be heard!
National Advocacy
Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act
The Child Nutrition Promotion and School
Lunch Protection Act was introduced in April 2006 in the Senate and
the House. The bill seeks to bring decades-old regulations
governing the federal school foods program in line with current
science and addresses concerns about the foods available to children
on school campuses during the school day.
Child nutrition at school is an important national concern, especially
since childhood obesity has become a public health concern of epidemic
proportions. This legislation would help combat future health-care
costs associated with obesity-related illnesses, and would empower
parents who are trying to send positive messages to their children
about nutrition and healthy eating habits. The federal investment in
school foods programs—$8.5 billion annually—is being undermined by the
availability of foods of minimal nutritional value on school campuses;
these foods are competing with healthy school meals.
National PTA and other members of the National Alliance for Nutrition
and Activity advocated extensively for the introduction and support of
the bill. During the 2006 National PTA Legislative Conference, held in
March, PTA members from across the country spoke to their senators and
representatives about child nutrition and urged them to cosponsor the
legislation. Thanks to those efforts, additional cosponsors were
secured, helping to bring about bipartisan support for the bill.
You can lend your voice to the continuing effort to encourage members
of Congress to support this important legislation. Visit the Issues
and Action section of the National PTA website to
send a
letter to your members of Congress asking them
to join this bipartisan effort to protect the health and wellness of
children.
www.pta.org
Source: National PTA “This Week
in Washington” – April 7, 2006
PTA Files Comments with FTC on Food Marketing to Kids
On December 21, 2006, PTA joined
fellow members of the Children's Media Policy Coalition in filing
comments with the FTC regarding the FTC's investigation into food
industry marketing activities and expenditures targeted to children
and adolescents. The FTC began its investigation in March 2006,
and in late October 2006, gave notice that it would compel disclosure
of such activities and expenditures by food marketing companies.
At that time, the FTC requested public comment on ways to enhance the
quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected.
The FTC intends to gather information from
approximately 50 parent companies of food, beverage, and quick-service
restaurant companies that frequently advertise to children. The
FTC plans to include in its investigation not only companies that
advertise fast foods, breakfast cereals, candy, carbonated beverages,
dairy products, and desserts, but also marketers of fruits and
vegetables.
The comments from the Children's Media Policy Coalition
recommend that the FTC:
* Include major children's media companies in its information request,
* Seek information on all major and emerging types of food marketing
directed at children and teens,
* Seek information on market research,
* Require companies to produce data concerning audience reach, and
* Obtain demographic data on the targets and recipients of food and
beverage marketing.
Source: National PTA "This Week in Washington" Jan 9, 2007
State Advocacy
Click here for the Illinois PTA Position on
Nutritional Standards.
USDA
LAUNCHES WEBSITE FOR THE NEW FOOD PYRAMID
Please
visit
http://mypyramid.gov/
and
http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/
for all the latest information on healthy eating.
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