DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET Introduction For the first time in two centuries, the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents. —New York Times, March 17, 2005 Children’s health is in jeopardy. In recent years, the number of children who are overweight or obese has skyrocketed, and with this rise has come all sorts of related illnesses and injuries. Children these days are coping with stress, jam-packed schedules, and pressure to perform every day. At the same time, schools and many early childhood programs—even families, frankly—are reducing or eliminating children’s opportunities for imagination, play, and physical activity. Our current culture and our daily routines do not support children’s healthy development. Worse: our way of life is harming children’s health. Why Early Childhood? We wrote Healthy Children, Healthy Lives because we are alarmed by the health crisis children face these days, a crisis we feel strongly all early childhood professionals need to understand. But equally important, we wrote this book because we believe the community of early childhood professionals can—and must—do something to help. By taking a complete, proactive approach toward children’s health and wellness, we are cer- tain the unhealthy trends affecting children these days can be reversed. We are convinced that the movement to improve young children’s health and wellness won’t happen in a conference room or congressional session—although organizational programs and a few strategic policies won’t hurt. It will happen through the everyday learning experiences a young child has with a committed caregiver. That means you. Every week over 11 million children in the United States under the age of five spend an average of thirty-six hours in some type of child care setting. During the hours these children are in care, they count on a child care professional like you to meet their health and safety needs and to enable their growth and development. To support these children, caregiving profession- als do many things: provide meals and snacks, promote physical activities, guide behavior, offer emotional support, and provide a safe environment in which children can explore. Further, while facilitating the children’s growth and learning, caregivers plan and offer experiences that support children’s physical and social-emotional health—two domains directly related to a child’s overall wellness. In short, child care professionals are tasked with providing for children’s overall health and wellness. This is an opportunity we need to capitalize on. xi COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL