Shelley Curtis, MPH, RD

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• Shelley Curtis, MPH, RD
• Nutrition Outreach Food Policy Manager

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• Statewide child advocacy organization
• Over 125 organizational members
• Over 6,000 individual members
• Mission To improve the well-being of children by
  effecting positive change in public policies,
  priorities and programs.

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• Our partners
• Members
• Individuals
• Organizations
• Coalitions
• Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition
• Western Region Anti-Hunger Consortium
• Advocates for Families and Farms
• Health Coalition for Children and Youth
• Childrens Budget Coalition
• Adolescent Work Group

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• Examples of issues we work on
• Child welfare
• Adolescent issues
• Health care
• Early learning
• Hunger
• School nutrition

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• Hunger and school nutrition issues
• Expand access and improve quality of Child
  Nutrition Programs
• Protect funding and expand access to WIC, WIC
  FMNP and Basic Food
• Improve school nutrition environment/ prevent
  childhood overweight

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• School nutrition
• Statewide and local coalition work
• Technical assistance
• State level public policy
• Federal level public policy
• Evaluation
• Enforcement and accountability

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• Three-legged advocacy stool
• Legislative advocacy
• Media advocacy
• Grassroots mobilization

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• Seattle Times
• Letter to the Editor November 25, 2003
• Cornucopia of influence
• Asking schools to be part of the solution rather
  than the problem should not be seen as a radical
  idea, but rather an idea whose time is way past
  due.
• While childhood obesity is a complex issue
  involving a myriad of factors at the individual,
  family and community level, schools are uniquely
  positioned to influence children's eating and
  physical activity behaviors. These behaviors can
  affect how well children learn and have a huge
  impact on their physical and mental health - now,
  and later in life.
• Schools are being picked on not because they are
  the bad guy, but because they have such an
  important role to play as the good guy. Change
  needs to happen fast though, before one more
  child is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, before
  one more child's self-esteem is damaged, before
  one more child becomes a statistic.
• We need to advocate for good policy change at the
  district level as well as the state level. All
  children in Washington should have access to
  healthful food and beverages and opportunities
  for physical activity. Until each and every
  district makes these issues a priority we will
  not be able to level the playing field for all
  children.
• Local level action is critical but let's see some
  leadership in the Legislature as well! Shelley
  Curtis, Seattle

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