BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 290
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 17, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 290 (Alejo) - As Introduced: February 11, 2013
Policy Committee: Human
ServicesVote:7 - 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires that as of January 1, 2015, any director or
teacher who is working in a licensed child care facility and
receives health and safety training must have at least one hour
of childhood nutrition training as part of the preventive health
practices course.
FISCAL EFFECT
Because the cost of training is borne by child care providers,
any costs to the state should be minor and absorbable within
existing resources.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . The purpose of this legislation is to improve the
nutritional quality of the food served to children in licensed
child care facilities. The sponsors, the California Food
Policy Advocates (CFPA), note that California's licensing laws
do not require providers to undergo any nutrition training.
Yet research indicates child care provider training has the
greatest impact on the quality of child care programs. With
nearly 25% of preschool-aged children overweight or obese,
thousands of California's youngest residents face a lifetime
of health challenges (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, cancer)
related to poor nutrition.
With more than 45,000 licensed child care facilities in
California serving over one-million children, CFPA and the
author believe that child care providers are uniquely
positioned to help ensure young children are exposed to good
AB 290
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nutrition during the early years.
2)Background . According to the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC), obesity rates among children and adolescents have
almost tripled since 1980. Approximately 17%, or 12.5 million
children and adolescents nationwide, aged two to 19 years of
age are considered obese. Further, it is estimated that one
in three children are obese or considered overweight by their
fifth birthday.
The health risks of obesity in young children are substantial,
which places their overall health at greater risk. Obesity
can lead to Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and
other adverse health conditions. Longitudinal studies have
also demonstrated that eating habits learned at an early age
are more likely to be practiced throughout a person's
lifetime.
Current law allows DSS to utilize existing federal Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, developed by the US Departments of
Health and Human Services and Agriculture. It additionally
permits DSS to include childhood nutrition in its training
regimen for child care agencies. However, because the
training is permitted but not required, there is no assurance
that licensed child care agencies have knowledge of, or are
providing, good quality and healthy, nutritious meals to the
children they serve.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081