Let’s Move! Child Care | Press Release | Factsheet  |  HealthyKidsHealthyFuture.org 

“Early childhood settings, including both child care centers and informal care, present a tremendous opportunity to prevent obesity by making an impact at a pivotal phase in children’s lives.”

-Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation: a Report to the President from the Childhood Obesity Task Force.

“Everyone is going to see that these small changes can make a big difference. If our kids get into the habit of getting up and playing, if their palates warm up to veggies at an early age, and if they’re not glued to a TV screen all day, they’re on their way to healthy habits for life,” Mrs. Obama said. “That’s why I’m so excited about Let’s Move! Child Care – because I know that childcare facilities and home-based providers can be a real building block for an entire generation of healthy kids.” Read more…

From the Factsheet: 
• Obesity rates among preschoolers ages 2 to 5 have doubled in the past four decades. 
• One in five children are overweight or obese by the time they reach their 6th birthday. 
• Over half of obese children first become overweight at or before age two. 
• Only 25% of children ages 2 to 11 years consume three servings of vegetables a day, and less than 50% consume two daily servings of fruit. 
• Preschool children spend over four hours a day watching television and videos, including time in child care. 
• 60% of children under 5 are in some form of child care, spending an average of 29 hours/week in that care. 
• A 2008 survey by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies reported that 93% of parents thought existing health and safety standards for child care should be improved.