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Growing Citizens for Tomorrow: How Childhood Development

and Nutrition Affect National SecurityJamie Barnett

Rear Admiral, USN (Retired)

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The ‘Expanding’ Epidemic

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1. We must expand and improve early childhood development and we must expand our thinking to include Pre-Kindergarten, not just Kindergarten.

2. We must make sure that the calories that our kids get in school have high quality nutrition and meet nutrition standards, and

3. We need to do more to encourage our children to become physically fit.

National Security Issues: Pre-K and Nutrition

Students get up to 50% of their daily calorie intake at school

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Research shows we must start early

90% of a child’s brain is developed in the first 5 years

Early Childhood Investments Pay Dividends

ScienceDaily (Feb. 4, 2011) — For every $1 invested in a Chicago early childhood education program, nearly $11 is projected to return to society over the children's lifetimes -- equivalent to an 18 percent annual return on program investment

--according to a study led by University of Minnesota professor of child development Arthur Reynolds

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Americans between the ages of 17-24 need to lose a collective

390 MILLION pounds!

Young Obesity in Perspective

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Mission: Readiness Report “Too Fat to Fight”

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Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act

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Physical Fitness Affects Learning

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1. Support for Pre-K programs not just K-12.

2. Support the Dept of Agriculture to implement the science-based meal standards required by the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act.

3. Financial support for schools to meet those standards, to train school nutritionists and cafeteria managers and to buy kitchen equipment to make healthy, appetizing meals.

4. Find ways for effective physical education in schools.

What We Can Do

…and we must

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Growing Citizens for Tomorrow: How Childhood Development

and Nutrition Affect National SecurityJamie Barnett

Rear Admiral, USN (Retired)

202-997-3591

jamiebarnett76@gmail.com

http://missionreadiness.org/