Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010

CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION

HEALTHY, HUNGER-FREE KIDS ACT OF 2010

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 represents a major step forward in our nation's effort to provide all children with healthy food in schools.  Increasingly schools are playing a central role in children's health.  Over 31 million children receive meals through the school lunch program and many children receive most, if not all, of their meals at school.  With over seventeen million children living in food insecure households and one out of every three children in America now considered overweight or obese, schools often are on the front lines of our national challenge to combat childhood obesity and improve children's overall health.  This legislation includes significant improvements that will help provide children with healthier and more nutritious food options, educate children about making healthy food choices, and teach children healthy habits that can last a lifetime.

WHAT IS THE CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION BILL?

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 authorizes funding for federal school meal and child nutrition programs and increases access to healthy food for low-income children.  The bill that reauthorizes these programs is often referred to by shorthand as the child nutrition reauthorization bill.  This particular bill reauthorizes child nutrition programs for five years and includes $4.5 billion in new funding for these programs over 10 years.

Many of the programs featured in the Act do not have a specific expiration date, but Congress is periodically required to review and reauthorize funding.  This reauthorization presents an important opportunity to strengthen programs to address more effectively the needs of our nation's children and young adults.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

Improves Nutrition and Focuses on Reducing Childhood Obesity

• Gives the USDA the authority to set nutritional standards for all foods regularly sold in schools during the day, including vending machines, the "a la carte" lunch lines, and school stores.
• Provides additional funding to schools that meet updated nutritional standards for federally-subsidized lunches.  This is a historic investment, the first real reimbursement rate increase in over 30 years.
• Helps communities establish local farm to school networks, create school gardens, and ensures that more local foods are used in the school setting.
• Builds on USDA work to improve nutritional quality of commodity foods that schools receive from USDA and use in their breakfast and lunch programs.
• Expands access to drinking water in schools, particularly during meal times.
• Sets basic standards for school wellness policies including goals for nutrition promotion and education and physical activity, while still permitting local flexibility to tailor the policies to their particular needs.
• Promotes nutrition and wellness in child care settings through the federally-subsidized Child and Adult Care Food Program.
• Expands support for breastfeeding through the WIC program.

Increases Access

• Increases the number of eligible children enrolled in school meal programs by approximately 115,000 students by using Medicaid data to directly certify children who meet income requirements.
• Helps certify an average additional 4,500 students per year to receive school meals by setting benchmarks for states to improve the certification process.
• Allows more universal meal access for eligible students in high poverty communities by eliminating paper applications and using census data to determine school-wide income eligibility.
• Expands USDA authority to support meals served to at-risk children in afterschool programs.

Increases Program Monitoring and Integrity

• Requires school districts to be audited every three years to improve compliance with nutritional standards.
• Requires schools to make information more readily available to parents about the nutritional quality of meals.
• Includes provisions to ensure the safety of school foods like improving recall procedures and extending hazard analysis and food safety requirements for school meals throughout the campus.
• Provides training and technical assistance for school food service providers.

WHAT IS THE TIME FRAME?

USDA will work with states, school districts and neighborhoods to implement the provisions of the bill and Americans with start to see changes in their communities over time.





reprinted from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/13/president-obama-signs-healthy-hunger-free-kids-act-2010-law

Stay Healthy Through the Holidays

The holidays are a time to celebrate, give thanks, and reflect. They are also a time to pay special attention to the health of yourself and your loved ones. Give the gift of health and safety to yourself and others by following these holiday tips:



1.  Watch what you eat.
We all over do it at least a little during the holidays but that doesn't mean that all our healthy habits go out the window!  Remember that you are modeling behavior for your children so you need to make smart choices.  Try to be aware of portion control at parties.  Eat the tempting high fat foods in smaller portions and fill up on fruits and vegetables.  Be careful of buffet-style foods where people may "double dip".  Put your serving on a plate rather than eating directly from the buffet to cut down on exposure to germs.  Give your kids (and yourself) a healthy snack before you head out to a party (cheese, fruit, etc.) so you don't arrive with an empty stomach.  Avoid leaving plates of cookies and sweets in the house to help prevent boredom grazing.

2.  Stay active.
Don't let the cold stop you and the kids from getting enough exercise throughout the winter!  Physical activity helps to prevent weight gain and relieves holiday stress.  Here are some fun family ideas during the cold winter months:
    
         Outside:

• Build a snowman
• Have a snowball fight
• Go sledding, snowshoeing or ice skating
• Walk around the neighborhood with your family looking at holiday lights
• Build an igloo with snowballs
• Organize a scavenger hunt with friends/family
• Organize a game with friends/family (basketball, football, baseball)  

         Inside:

• Have a family dance contest
• Try out a new class at a local recreation center
• Go swimming at an indoor pool
• Go for a walk at the mall (be sure to wear your pedometer)
• Play games like Twister™, Simon Says or Red Light/Green Light
• Set up an indoor obstacle course for you, your family and friends
• Buy or make some fitness dice. Roll the dice and then perform the exercise however many times the numbered die tells you to!

3.  Dress appropriately.
Make sure everyone is dressed warmly even if you are just going for a short car ride.  If you happened to break down, have an accident, or get stuck in snow you need to be prepared because children can become hypothermic quickly.  Keep warm blankets in the trunk for such emergencies.  When outside, stay dry and dress warmly in several layers of loose-fitting, tightly woven clothing.

4.  Stay safe.
'Tis the season for get-togethers and holiday parties but make sure that your children are monitored and are safe.  The incidence of accidents and poisonings tends to increase when visiting other homes, especially during the holidays.  Scan the house for hazards, especially for young children.  Make sure someone is assigned to watch small children at all times.  Never leave lit candles unattended and keep them out of reach of children.  Check toys to make sure they are age-appropriate and safe.

5.  Follow the basics.
Wash your hands often.  Stay home when sick.  Drink a lot of water.  Get enough sleep.

6.  Don't overdo it!
Be realistic about how much is too much.  Don't spend too much money, eat too much food, or go to too many parties.  Recognize the signs of stress in yourself and your children (irritability, headaches, stomachaches, changes in appetite or sleep).  Pace yourself.  Don't expect perfection.  And above all else, have a HAPPY holiday season!