Nutrition in Education Advocacy

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Advocacy In Action

Advocacy in Action: Meeting with Rita Smart

Yesterday myself and 4 of the undergrads from the General Dietetics program briefly met with State Representative Rita Smart as part of Kentucky Dietetic Associations Day at the Capitol. Representative Smart is a great ally for Nutrition in Education, as her background is in Family and Consumer Sciences and before becoming a representative, she worked for many years as a Co-Operative Extension Agent.

While Representative Smart could only allocate a small portion of her day to meeting with myself and the other students (and this is often the case with Representatives and Senators while their committees are in session -
and should not discourage you from your advocacy efforts... your voice is being heard, even if briefly!), we were able to give her the big thumbs up and our solid support for a bill she has co-sponsored: HB 68.

House Bill 68 is a bill that promotes physical activity in elementary schools throughout Kentucky. The bill proposes that children in first through fifth grades, and kindergartners attending a full day should receive no less than 90 minutes per week of physical activity, while children enrolled in half day kindergarten should receive a minimum of 45 minutes per week of physical activity.



What a fantastic bill, right? Children need as many opportunities as they can to be physically active, especially at an elementary age when they are still developing their gross motor skills. Not to mention the wonder effects being active has on both a child's academics and their general classroom behavior.  

During the KDA meeting, Senator Katie Stine spoke to the group (both dietitians and dietetic students alike) about other bills that effect the health of Kentuckians. Senator Stine is another passionate advocate for nutrition and physical activity and implores everyone to call the Legislative Hot Line at 1-800-372-7181 any time there is a health related bill to let your representatives know that you support it!

Labels: Advocacy in Action, Policy

by E Pace at 1:04 PM |