DC Council Approves the Healthy Schools Act

First the bad news...

• Nearly half the children in D.C. are overweight or obese.
• In some parts of the District, more than 70% of residents are overweight or obese.
• DC has the highest rate of adolescent obesity in the United States.

Depressing statistics like these were what motivated DC Councilmember Mary Cheh (Ward 3) to take action by introducing the Healthy Schools Act. The great news is that the DC Council recently passed and funded the Act!

The Healthy Schools Act aims to improve the nutrition, health and wellness of kids in DC. Key provisions of the legislation include:

• Raising the nutritional standard and quality of school meals by bringing in more local fruits and vegetables to school cafeterias.
• Tripling the amount of physical and health education taught in DC schools.
• Establish school gardens as integral components of school and public charter schools.

The last provision is key to improving the health and nutritional status of DC school children, because we have consistently seen that kids become more enthusiastic about eating fresh, nutritious food when they are involved in the growing process.

TGC shares the goals of the Healthy Schools Act (especially since we are based in DC), and the DC Council’s decision to pass it is a crucial first step to improving the nutrition, health, and wellness of DC school children.