,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bgci ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #i1 #bjbe,mr4 ,booker introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,reducing ,obesity in ,youth ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,purposes ,the purposes of this ,act are-- 7#a7 to establish a program that will enhance the training and knowledge of early care and education providers and influence practices1 policies1 and environments in early care and education settings to support healthy eating and physical activity for children ages birth through #e1 including by addressing the growing threat of food insecurity2 7#b7 to provide support to ,states on ways to link early care and education programs to nutrition supports2 7#c7 to monitor progress of healthy eating and physical activity promotion in early care and education settings2 and 7#d7 to identify emerging1 and expand existing1 approaches to engaging families and parents of children ages birth to #e in healthy eating and physical activity4 #c4 ,healthy ,kids ,program ,part ,q of title ,,iii of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bhj;h et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #cii,z-#c4 ,healthy ,kids ,grant ,program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention 7referred to in this section as the ,secretary7 and in coordination with the ,assistant ,secretary for the ,administration for ,children and ,families1 shall award #e-year competitive grants to one or more eligible entities-- 7#a7 to improve healthy eating and physical activity among children ages birth through #e years in early care and education settings2 and 7#b7 to address food insecurity among such children4 7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive a grant under subsection 7a71 an entity shall be-- 7#a7 a nonprofit organization with expertise in early childhood health and childhood obesity prevention2 7#b7 an institution of higher education 7as defined in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife7 or research center that employs faculty with relevant expertise and has expertise in training early care and education providers2 or 7#c7 a consortium of entities described in paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 that submit a single application to carry out activities under the grant jointly4 7c7 ,application ,an entity seeking a grant under subsection 7a7 shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7d7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,in general ,an entity shall use amounts received under a grant under this section to work directly with implementing partners1 which may include ,states1 territories1 ,indian ,tribes1 municipalities1 and nonprofit organizations-- 7,a7 to create sustainable programs to train early care and education providers through direct coaching and peer-learning1 access to quality technical assistance1 and professional development opportunities that are focused on healthy eating1 physical activity1 addressing food insecurity1 and other topics that support children's healthy development1 as determined by the ,secretary2 7,b7 to build ,state capacity through training1 technical assistance1 and resources to integrate the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity into existing early care and education programs1 systems1 and initiatives1 including linking early care and education programs to new and existing resources for nutrition supports1 with a focus on promoting equity2 and 7,c7 to test innovative or evidence-informed approaches to promoting healthy habits and healthy child development in early care and education settings1 which may include linking early care and education and health care providers1 enhancing early care and education staff wellness1 enhancing access to quality foods in the early care and education settings1 and engaging families of children ages birth to #e years served in the early care and education programs supported by a grant under this section4 7#b7 ,implementing partners ,in selecting implementing partners under paragraph 7#a71 a recipient of a grant under this section shall ensure that such partners-- 7,a7 serve populations that are racially1 ethnically1 socioeconomically1 and geographically diverse2 and 7,b7 represent a mix of rural and urban settings4 7#c7 ,national independent evaluator ,from the amounts appropriated to carry out this section1 and prior to awarding any grants under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall enter into a contract with an external entity to create a single1 uniform process to-- 7,a7 ensure that entities that receive grants under paragraph 7#a7 comply with the requirements of this section2 and 7,b7 evaluate the outcomes of the grant activities carried out by each participating entity4 7e7 ,tracking ,state progress ,the ,secretary may use amounts appropriated under subsection 7h77#b7 to enter into contracts with1 or award grants to1 institutions of higher education1 nonprofit organizations1 or other entities with relevant monitoring and surveillance expertise1 for purposes of-- 7#a7 tracking ,state progress in obesity prevention policies and practices of early care and education programs in ,states where grantees are present2 and 7#b7 measuring changes in food security within exposed groups4 7f7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the completion of the programs and activities 7including monitoring and surveillance under subsection 7e77 funded under grants awarded under this section1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress1 and all appropriate ,federal agencies1 a report concerning an evaluation of the results of such programs and activities1 including best practices1 and lessons derived from the experiences of grantees1 with respect to reducing and preventing food insecurity and obesity and overweight among children ages birth through #e years in the early care and education settings4 7g7 ,early care and education defined ,in this section1 the term early care and education means programs and activities that serve children ages birth through #e years either through in-home or out-of-home settings1 including childcare programs1 ,head ,start programs1 family childcare1 and pre-kindergarten programs4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,in general ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #e1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 7#b7 ,funding for tracking ,state progress ,in addition to amounts made available under paragraph 7#a71 there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out subsection 7e7 #a1gjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbf4 4