The Pica Perspective

The latest on the childhood obesity crisis

Two interesting reports have surfaced this week: one good news and the other good news if you care only about the children in this country...

Regarding the latter, it turns out that American children aren't the fattest in the world after all. According to a CBS News report, there are more children -- 44 and 45 percent, respectively -- in Spain and Italy who are overweight or obese. In this country "only" 41 percent of the children are overweight or obese.

There was a positive side to this story: According to the study cited, the incidence of childhood obesity is increasing more slowly in the U.S. than in most of the other countries.

The really good news is that there's evidence that the childhood obesity crisis is beginning to subside. Several recent studies reported that rates of overweight and obese children plateaued after rising rapidly since 1980, but now a first major study has detected a decline - of 4 percent - and it was in a national sample dominated by low-income blacks and Hispanics, the groups at highest risk and the least likely to make a change.

Maybe people are finally getting the message! We can hope...

Happy meals lawsuit

I'm no fan of McDonald's, and I certainly don't approve of the tactic of offering toys (particularly toys related to children's favorite movies and TV shows) as incentives to buy Happy Meals. But someone, somewhere has to draw the line at what is corporate America's responsibility and what responsibility belongs to parents.

This week the Los Angeles Times reported that "a public health watchdog group called on the fast food giant to remove the playthings from all its meal packages" and has written a letter of intent to sue if the toys are not removed. The Center for Science in the Public Interest said that the plastic promotions lure children into McDonald's restaurants where they are then likely to order food that is too high in calories, fat and salt.

"McDonald's is the stranger in the playground handing out candy to children," Stephen Gardner, litigation director for the advocacy group said in a statement. "McDonald's use of toys undercuts parental authority and exploits young children's developmental immaturity."

I'm sorry, but who's in charge here -- the children or the parents? Are the children driving themselves to McDonald's and then whipping out their wallets to pay for their Happy Meals?

I realize we're living in an age when parents hesitate (refuse to?) say "no" to their children, but where are their priorities? Are they more fearful of stifling their children's budding self-esteem than of feeding them food that is too high in calories, fat and salt? The former concern is a myth; the second, if ignored, a killer.

For more perspective on this, listen to experts on "When and How to Say 'NO' to Children!"

Mind in the making

Last evening I attended a book event sponsored by the Early Education Initiative of the New America Foundation. The event featured Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute and author of the new book, Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. Ms. Galinsky talked about the research she accumulated and reviewed -- over a period of 10 years -- and how she arrived at the seven skills she sees as essential for success both in childhood and in adulthood. They are:

1. Focus and Self Control
2. Perspective Taking
3. Communicating
4. Making Connections
5. Critical Thinking
6. Taking on Challenges
7. Self-Directed, Engaged Learning

A highlight of the evening were videos that said so much more than words ever could. One, depicting Focus and Self Control, was of the "marshmallow test." If you haven't seen it, watch it now!

Whether you're a parent or an early childhood professional, it's imperative that you ask yourself whether or not you're helping to instill these seven essential skills in the children in your care!

There are many resources available at Mind in the Making. I encourage you to check them out!

Does the body have an intelligence of its own? YES! Discover its significance from the experts. Listen @ http://tinyurl.com/ydjgbmq !

October leadership conference

Here's a message from Marcy Guddemi, executive director of the Gesell Institute of Human Development, regarding an upcoming conference they're sponsoring. I'll be there as part of a panel discussing play. Hope to see you there!

Gesell Institute of Human Development, a New Haven based non-profit on the Yale campus, is planning a very important event---a leadership in early childhood education conference.  http://www.gesellinstitute.org/pdf/LEADConferenceBrochure.pdf  This is a conference you will not want to miss! Register today to hear from world renowned pediatricians T. Berry Brazelton, MD and Joshua D. Sparrow, MD, and Head Start founder Edward Zigler, PhD, We are also honored to feature Alliance for Childhood Executive Director Joan Almon, Columbia University’s Dr. Sharon Lynn Kagan, and United States Representative, the Honorable Rosa DeLauro. Our pre-conference banquet on October 14th will feature award-winning journalist and engaging speaker Ashley Merryman, also the co-author of the New York Times bestseller NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children.

Our national conference on October 15^th, 2010 has been designed to address the important issues of early childhood education leadership, in a way that no other leadership conference has. Speakers include both world-renowned experts in child development and practitioners, including Sally Millaway, Principal and David Mooij, Superintendent, of Neptune Township School District in New Jersey, where they have experienced first-hand the power of utilizing a research-based early childhood program for preschool and Kindergarten children.

As outlined in our conference materials at www.gesellinstitute.org/events, the conference will be structured to include two keynote presentations and four panels, lead by experts and practitioners in the field. Some of the key questions we will address are as follows.

·       What curricular models are leading to higher test scores? 

·       What does research tell us about how children learn? 

·       What policies are making a positive difference in terms of learning outcomes? 

·       What role does hands-on, developmentally appropriate practice play? 

Hope you can attend.  Limited space so register early and save!

Children whose parents limit TV & computer time spend more time in physical activity! Read more @ http://tinyurl.com/2fnfqbo .

A troubling look at parenting "neglect" and its effect on children in this electronic age: http://tinyurl.com/2cz5o43 .

New on BAM Radio: Solving the Growing Physical Activity Crisis. Our guests discuss causes and offer solutions! Listen @ http://tinyurl.com/ydjgbmq .

How to handle conflict w/young children? Can it be a good thing? Experts offer tested tips! Tune in now at http://tinyurl.com/ydjgbmq .

Core standards update

Here's the latest from Ed Miller of the Alliance for Childhood:

The final version of the Core Standards was released this morning at a press conference in Georgia (to give the impression that this was not a Washington-based initiative, even though it was).  The standards are online here:

http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards.

 

A quick reading reveals some changes from the last published version.  For example, the math standards now say that kindergartners should be able to "count forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence (instead of having to begin at 1."  The previous version required them to count "forward or backward."

 

I will pass along reactions to the standards from those of you who wish to comment in this forum after reading the final version of the K-3 standards.

 

Here's an excerpt from Catherine Gewertz's report in Education Week:

Organizers of the Common Core State Standards Initiative scheduled a press event at a Georgia high school for this morning and invited a high-profile list of guests, including governors and education commissioners, to speak in support of the standards.

The final document outlines what experts decided are the knowledge and skills students should have in mathematics and English/language arts. Convened last year by the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and Achieve, which have worked in various ways to help states raise academic expectations, the writing and feedback panels included university scholars, state curriculum specialists, and teachers; testing organizations such as the College Board and ACT Inc.; and curriculum-design companies such as America's Choice.

Drafts evolved as they were circulated among state departments of education, teachers' unions, and groups focused on curriculum content, and then revised. The panels' work still was criticized in some quarters, however, for affording too little chance for general public input, or for producing expectations that were too rigorous or not rigorous enough.

The first official public draft, released in March, drew more than 10,000 comments on a website set up by the NGA and the CCSSO. The final document incorporates that feedback, officials said, as well as final rounds of input from states and specialized groups.

The press event for the release of the final standards was to take place at a high school outside Atlanta. The choice of location and the list of expected attendees carry political messages that the organizers of the common-standards initiative hope to send as states decide whether to adopt them.

Peachtree High School in Suwanee, Ga., is 600 miles from Washington, a fact aimed at critics who see the common-standards movement as a federal intrusion into state education decisions. That perception was fueled by rhetorical and monetary support from the federal government. President Barack Obama backs the idea, and the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top grant competition, financed with economic-stimulus money, favors states that adopt the standards....

 

Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia signed pledges of support to help develop the common-core initiative, but that did not bind them to embrace the resulting document. Kentucky, Hawaii, Maryland, and West Virginia have adopted the standards tentatively, based on earlier drafts. But now that the document is final-and with the Race to the Top requiring state action by Aug. 2-dozens of states will face adoption decisions in the next couple of months.

--Ed