Bill > S3171

This bill aims to establish a grant program within the Public Health Service Act to promote healthy eating, physical activity, and address food insecurity among children aged birth to 5 years in early care and education settings. The key provisions include: 1. Awarding 5-year competitive grants to eligible entities (nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions, or consortia) to train early care and education providers, build state capacity to integrate healthy eating and physical activity into existing programs, and test innovative approaches to promoting healthy habits. 2. Requiring the selected implementing partners to serve diverse populations across racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic lines, as well as a mix of rural and urban settings. 3. Contracting with an external entity to ensure grantee compliance and evaluate the outcomes of the grant activities. 4. Allowing the use of funds to track state progress in obesity prevention policies and practices, as well as changes in food security within the target population. The bill authorizes $5 million per year for fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to carry out the grant program, with an additional $1.7 million in fiscal year 2024 for the state-level monitoring and surveillance activities.