Sen. John Rockefeller [D-WV]: Mr. President, I rise today to commend and support my colleagues on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for the hard work on the Head Start reauthorization bill.

I would particularly like to thank Senators DODD and HARKIN for including important language in the bill regarding childhood obesity prevention as part of Head Start. Obesity is a serious health concern, especially in West Virginia where 64 percent of adults in West Virginia are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. An even more alarming statistic, however, is that 28 percent of low-income children between the ages of 2 and 5 are already overweight. Furthermore, overweight children have a 70 percent chance of remaining overweight into their adulthood. Obesity in children is usually caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two.

If Head Start can play a role in preventing obesity in children and families, it will be a real achievement, and I strongly believe Head Start can because of our experience in West Virginia.

In December 2004, a pilot program designed by Amy Requa, Head Start health specialist, and Dr. Linda Carson, director of the West Virginia Motor Development Center, West Virginia University was initiated in Head Start Region III, which includes West Virginia. The program, known as "I Am Moving, I Am Learning," is designed to prevent and reverse obesity among children enrolled in Head Start by integrating physical activity and wise nutrition choices in their daily life and promoting general good fitness habits.

According to the Surgeon General, children should exercise for at least 60 minutes per day. "I Am Moving, I Am Learning" is designed to improve the quality and quantity of exercise performed by children by incorporating it into daily classroom routines. After the first year of the pilot program, results showed that Head Start participants were less sedentary and able to meet the daily exercise requirement, in addition to being able to move with more intensity over longer periods of time.

The benefits of "I Am Moving, I Am Learning" do not end at the classroom. Because the risk of overweight children becoming overweight adults increases when one or more parent is obese, participants are encouraged to extend their healthy physical activity and food choices to the home. "I Am Moving, I Am Learning" is also not an isolated program; it is easily integrated with other community programs targeting childhood obesity and family wellness.

Overall the results after the first year of the "I Am Moving, I Am Learning" show remarkable success. Children enrolled in the initiative showed moderate improvement in body-mass index scores, indicating that they were at healthier weights than at the start of the program. Due to its success, starting this year "I Am Moving, I Am Learning" is extending into Delaware, Pennsylvania, and California.

The goal of Head Start is "to bring about a greater degree of social competence in the young children of low-income families." "I Am Moving, I Am Learning" succeeds in complementing this by creating positive self-esteem among children by removing the depression and social discrimination associated with obesity.

Adding incentives for Head Start agencies to add prevention of childhood obesity is an important improvement. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that the Head Start program is reauthorized during this Congress. It was neglected in the past, and we should be sure to review and strengthen our basic programs, such as Head Start.