California Superintendent of Public Instruction visits WCC
and releases news about Children and Nutrition





On June 10, 2009, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced a collaborative
project between the California Department of Education and the California Health and
Human Services Agency to prevent child obesity in child care environments in California. 
“It is never too early to start teaching children about good nutrition and exercise,” O’Connell said.
 “The healthy eating habits children learn in preschool can last a lifetime.”

While in Los Angeles to attend the Childhood Obesity Conference, O’Connell visited
Westside Children's Center, where he released the executive summary of the advisory group’s report titled,
 Keeping Children Healthy in California’s Child Care Environments: Recommendations to improve Nutrition
and Increase Physical Activity. A full report will be released later this year.

Among the findings is that one-third of California’s low-income children enter school overweight or obese.
“Interventions to curb this epidemic of childhood obesity must begin before children enter
school and before they develop poor health habits that lead to overweight and obesity”, O’Connell said.
Westside Children’s Center was chosen as the site to release the news, because it is
widely known for providing excellent Child Care Services including nutrition and exercise programs.