The existence of hunger in a country where people are increasingly likely to be obese is confusing and adds to the challenge facing anti-hunger advocates.  How do you explain that, in the U.S., hunger and obesity are two sides of the same coin? A new report from the Washington Budget and Policy Center helpfully illuminates this paradox. The report notes that the parts of this state where food is grown are some of its hungriest areas, with the least access to affordable fresh food.

When Governor Chris Gregoire vetoed early learning for low-income kids out of the state’s new definition of basic education, she pledged to bring a comprehensive early learning plan to the 2010 legislature.

The veto was a blow to early learning advocates, and the Governor quickly received more than 700 emails from disappointed constituents through our Children’s Action Network.

Now, following up on her pledge, the Governor has sent a letter to State Superintendent Randy Dorn and Bette Hyde, director of the state’s Department of Early Learning, asking them to come up with a comprehensive early learning proposal that includes early learning opportunities for all kids from birth to five. The deadline is December 1st—just in time to send something to the legislature.

Results of the latest research on how well school wellness policies are doing at reducing childhood obesity are mixed. Nearly one-third of U.S. children are overweight or obese, and that figure shows no signs of declining.  A new Robert Woods Johnson Foundation report has found that most schools have developed policies for improving students’ nutrition and increasing the amount of exercise children get at school, as called for by the 2004 Child Nutrition Act. But many of these policies are weak, full of shoulds, mays, and will try tos, and devoid of enforcement mechanisms.