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Pre-school Learning Alliance responds to Alan Johnson's statement on the foresight review of obesity

NEWS RELEASE

17 October 2007

Pre-school Learning Alliance responds to Alan Johnson's statement on the foresight review of obesity

Responding to the Secretary of State for Health’s response to the Foresight review of obesity, 'Tackling Obesities: Future Choices', Steve Alexander Chief Executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance said,

“The rising concern about child and adult obesity, the predicted increase in obesity levels, and the projected long term costs of accommodating such an increase highlights the urgent need for greater Government investment in the area of early years nutrition.

The Pre-school Learning Alliance, the largest voluntary sector provider of childcare, believes that if the Government is serious about bringing about long term change in the nation’s eating habits, early intervention is critical. Despite the formative role of the early years in shaping taste and food preferences, investment in this area pales in comparison with that directed towards improving the eating habits of statutory school age children. By this time however, it is often too late to address preferences which have developed for unhealthy foods.

The Alliance’s Feeding Young Imaginations campaign, developed in conjunction with the British Nutrition Foundation, supports early years practitioners and parents of very young children with accessible nutritional information and resources. Since last November the Alliance has been running free training courses on all aspects of healthy eating for the under 5’s to early years practitioners in regeneration areas throughout the country.

However this work has been almost entirely self-funded by the Alliance and while the Department for Children, Families and Schools and Department of Health have acknowledged that this work is a good place to start, there has been no support in the form of funding. The Alliance acknowledges that there has been some funding allocated to Sure Start Children’s Centres for advice to parents and for some nutritional activities, however this funding is not included in all Centre budgets and, furthermore we would argue this narrow focus does not address the national scale of the problem.

The Alliance believes that Funding would meet the pressing need for more support, advice and resources on the dietary needs of the under 5s to be made available to parents and to early years practitioners. Without this commitment to early intervention, we as a nation will continue to fire-fight and to pay the human and financial cost of failing to develop healthy eating habits.”

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Kate Summerside
Pre-school Learning Alliance
T: 020 7697 2502
Out of hours press calls: 07956 499621
E: Kate Summerside

Notes for Editors:

  1. The Pre-school Learning Alliance is the largest voluntary sector provider of quality affordable childcare and education in England.
  2. Through direct provision and its membership of 15,000 nurseries, sessional pre-schools and parent and toddler groups, the Alliance supports over 800,000 children and their families in England. The Alliance also develops and runs family learning programmes, offers information and advice, runs acclaimed training and accreditation programmes and campaigns to influence early years policy and practice.
  3. For information about the Pre-school Learning Alliance, visit our website: www.pre-school.org.uk
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