The government gets it right on Head Start. We are providing opportunities for children in underserved areas where parents may not be able to afford preschool so they can begin their schooling with a running or Head Start.
I was on the San Diego school board for 4 years, where I watched children successfully matriculate into elementary schools from Head Start programs from all around our city.
Studies indicate that these children are more susceptible to advertising and even less likely to understand the purpose of this advertising.
We have seen that, in another unfunded mandate, the so-called No Child Left Behind Act, which created tougher standards, and we all support that, but Congress did not provide the money to attract and hire the best teachers.
Congress is headed in the wrong direction with this bill which removes any and all incentives from the food industry to improve their products for children.
However, as a parent, as a grandparent, as a former educator, I know that these practices alone when we are dealing with young children are insufficient. We will never control this rising epidemic without greater accountability from the food industry.
The Surgeon General further stated that the rate of overweight children in America doubled in the past 20 years and tripled among its adolescents.