WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley today said that the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor and Health and Human Services has included funding for two projects at the University of Northern Iowa as part of its spending plan for the next fiscal year.
“These two projects work on serious issues that need to be addressed. Obesity is a major problem in America and the more we can do to educate young people about the negative factors associated with it, the better,” Grassley said. “And, ensuring that our young people have math and science skills is vitally important to ensuring that we can continue to compete internationally.”
The bill will now move for consideration by the full appropriations committee. It's expected that the full committee will meet yet this week. Grassley said he will continue to work with Senate appropriators throughout the process to see that funding for the project is included in the final version of the bill. The appropriations process begins each spring and is typically completed at the end of each congressional session.
Here is a description of the funded projects.
University of Northern Iowa
$240,000 for the Youth Fitness & Obesity Institute – This specific project will focus on supporting youth fitness and obesity efforts in rural Iowa. The Institute will provide the basic infrastructure and serve as a coordinating center for a multi-faceted approach involving several independent, yet related programs that address the physical activity and nutrition needs of children and adolescents. The proposed activities are directly related to efforts that purport to monitor and arrest the unhealthy epidemic of sedentary lifestyles and poor nutritional behaviors among young people in Iowa and throughout the nation. Grassley has obtained nearly $1.5 million for the program since 2002.
$100,000 for an early childhood science and math program -- The proposed project advances the curriculum development and dissemination efforts that began with the opening of the Freeburg School in 2001, a model demonstration program that serves mainly children from low-income, minority families. The Freeburg School is a unique collaboration with the local school district (Waterloo Community Schools), Head Start (Tri-County Child and Family Development), the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), Allen (Medical) College and Allen Health Systems, and a private donor. The school provides a full day, 9-month program of care and education to kindergarten through second-grade children and an 11-month program to 3- and 4-year-old Head Start children, a total of 66 children.