Almost a third of children in Nevada between the ages of four and five are overweight. To address this problem, state lawmakers have passed new regulations for child care centers. Our contributor Luiza Vieira has the story.
The new rules require that daycare facilities provide active playtime for children, and limit time spent playing video-games and watching TV. Assemblywoman Amber Joiner, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, says the law is an important step against obesity.
“I think, definitely in Nevada, it’s incredibly discouraging--our obesity rate," Joiner says. "Some of the studies say we have as many as a quarter of our children in Nevada are obese,” she says. “Every attempt we make to move that needle is extremely important.”
The original bill also included limits on the amount of fat and sugars that daycare can serve in their meals.
“I would say we are behind a lot of states that have stricter regulations about what type of nutrition can be in facilities that are licensed and what type of physical activities are offered,” she says. “ We are trying to catch up and make every effort possible to ensure that our kids are being active.”
Even though the law took effect this month, Joiner says it could take over a year to be implemented.
