“To amend the Public Health Service Act to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section sets forth congressional findings on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on child food insecurity (affecting an estimated 14 million children), the role of early care and education programs in providing free or reduced-price meals to more than 30 million children daily, rising childhood obesity rates (e.g., from 9% to 14% for ages 2-5 between 1999 and 2016), and the importance of early interventions in nutrition and physical activity. The section also states the purposes of the Act, which are to (1) establish a program enhancing training for early care and education providers to support healthy eating and physical activity for children birth through age 5; (2) aid States in linking such programs to nutrition supports; (3) monitor promotion of healthy eating and physical activity in these settings; and (4) expand approaches to engage families and parents.
This section establishes the Healthy Kids Grant Program in a new section of Part Q of title III of the Public Health Service Act. The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and in coordination with the Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, must award 5-year competitive grants to eligible entities—nonprofit organizations with expertise in early childhood health and childhood obesity prevention; institutions of higher education or research centers with relevant expertise in training early care and education providers; or consortia thereof—to improve healthy eating and physical activity and address food insecurity among children ages birth through 5 years in early care and education settings (i.e., in-home or out-of-home programs such as childcare, Head Start, family childcare, and pre-kindergarten). Grant recipients must use funds to work with diverse implementing partners (e.g., States, territories, Indian Tribes, municipalities, nonprofits serving racially, ethnically, socioeconomically, and geographically diverse populations in rural and urban settings) to (1) train early care and education providers via coaching, peer learning, technical assistance, and professional development; (2) build state capacity to integrate healthy eating, physical activity, and nutrition supports into early care and education programs with an equity focus; and (3) test innovative or evidence-informed approaches (e.g., linking early care and education with health care, staff wellness, quality foods, and family engagement). Prior to awarding grants, the Secretary must contract with an external entity for a uniform compliance and outcomes evaluation process; the Secretary may also use funds to contract or grant for tracking state progress on obesity prevention policies and food security in grantee states. Not later than 1 year after program completion (including monitoring), the Secretary must report to Congress and federal agencies on results, best practices, and lessons for reducing food insecurity and obesity. The section authorizes $5 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030 and an additional $1.7 million for FY2026 to carry out state progress tracking.