“A bill 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 the purposes of the Act: (1) to establish a program enhancing training and knowledge of early care and education providers to support healthy eating and physical activity for children from birth through age 5, including by addressing food insecurity; (2) to support states in linking early care and education programs to nutrition supports; (3) to monitor progress in promoting healthy eating and physical activity in such settings; and (4) to identify emerging approaches and expand existing ones for engaging families and parents of such children in healthy eating and physical activity.
This section establishes the Healthy Kids Grant Program under the Public Health Service Act, directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the CDC Director and in coordination with the Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, to award 5-year competitive grants to eligible entities—nonprofits with expertise in early childhood health and obesity prevention; institutions of higher education or research centers with relevant training expertise; or their consortia—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., childcare, Head Start, family childcare, and pre-kindergarten programs, in-home or out-of-home). Grant recipients must use funds to partner with diverse state, territorial, tribal, municipal, and nonprofit implementing partners in rural and urban areas to (1) train early care and education providers via coaching, technical assistance, and professional development; (2) build state capacity to integrate healthy eating, physical activity, and nutrition supports into existing programs with an equity focus; and (3) test innovative approaches such as linking early care and health providers, staff wellness, food access, and family engagement. The Secretary must contract with an external evaluator for grant compliance and outcomes prior to awards; may fund institutions or nonprofits to track state obesity prevention progress and food security changes; and must report to Congress and federal agencies within one year of program completion on results, best practices, and lessons for reducing child obesity, overweight, and food insecurity. The section authorizes $5 million annually for FY2026 through 2030 and an additional $1.7 million for FY2026 tracking activities under subsection (e).