picture of 4 yr old of what the school calls "Obese"

The educators need to go back to school, or maybe pull out a dictionary. She is totally normal!! Just like in Colorado, where my sister lives...they are trying out a pilot program on the grading scales...if you get 100% correct the highest grade you can get is a B ! Yes, you read it correctly. They have done away with 100%=A !!! I could not believe what she was telling me last week. Her kids are super smart and she might have to move them to another school system now. What is "average" ? What is "normal"? I sure hope that little girl does not know her school said she is fat! She is too young to understand this type of stupidity. She is super cute!

Your granddaughter looks like a perfect, healthy 4 year old should!

she is so cute maybe a lil chubby but not fat and def. not obese .

i think thats still baby fat..but technically speaking, i dont see anything wrong with her..i would raise so much hell with that place:mad:

even if she were 3 feet instead of 3 feet 3 inches she is still in the healthy weight range regardless. wtf is wrong with that school, whoever sent you that letter is probably obese.

Here is my thing, at her age, she is almost certainly getting physical at the start of school year (here my son needed one for 3yr old preschool..4 yr old, and going into kindergarten...so as long as the doc doesnt say anyting on the physical giving this concern, then the school shouldnt have to be checking it..even for funding. if the state or whatever wants the info on the childs health, then submit the record from the doc...period!

I haven't read thru all 7 pages and am not going to.
I used to work as a school nurse. As part of the funding we received thru a grant for nursing positions, we had to do BMI checks on all students in certain grades. This involved doing a height/weight check and then going back and using the CDC calculator to determine the BMI for their age. They then had a letter sent home stating what the numbers indicate but that any concerns needed to be followed up with their primary physician.
I HATED doing this, because we always received the calls from the parents- "YOU'RE CALLING MY KID FAT!!!!???" No, I'm telling you what an evidence based forumla has indicated.

That being said- we knew that some kids were more muscular than others. I had high schoolers and I'd mention this to them when before we did the checks and did a nutrition talk. We'd show the drawing of two teen guys- one was 240lbs and just fat, and the other was a built muscled football player.
Keep in mind this is not something that the staff decided to do on a whim. It might have been part of the funding for their position or required from the school district.

My daughter turned 3 in July and looks about the same as your G-daughter.

The only advise I take is from her pediatrician. I could honestly care less what some fool with a 40 year old BMI formula thinks of my daughter.

Rip the letter up and tell them to not mention this again. I live in Florida and they do not send letters of this type home as the parents would burn the school down.

Teachers teach and parents parent (and my wife is a teacher so I know).....if the child is not under the care of a pediatrician, then that is cause for concern, but she looks like a normal developing child.

As an aside, schools are now required by law to educate children and families about nutrition in regards to childhood obesity. You can thank the Obamas for that. If a child falls into the obese category schools must report it by law. Nutrition education is a must now. Schools are required to have a wellness committee. All these new regulations are in place to fight the obesity epidemic in this country.

Socialism at its finest. :huh:

Why do people insist on bringing their political views into posts?:grumble:

Because public schools bring their own political agenda and force it on the kids. And if you disagree, it's probably because you are either uninformed, not a parent, or left-leaning.

what's the problem with teaching kids about nutrition? it's clear that a lot of parents aren't doing a great job at it.

I suggest that you or her parents bring this up with the school administration immediately. She is NOT overweight or obese. She is healthy and looks very happy. If they will not listen to your concerns, go to the school board. Make sure you have a written complaint prepared and record any interactions with the school (just inform them you are doing so before you begin). This not appropriate for your granddaughter's health or safety.

ETA: Consider that if you ignore this that there are likely other children getting the same treatment and hopefully bringing it to light will help someone.

YES. This is exactly what I would say. I am a teacher and a parent and I would go to the administration or to the district if need be. That is outrageous!

They sent home a note saying she was" obese" and they wanted a home visit (not my home, her moms home) to disscuss nutrition to control her weight.

What the heck is wrong with our schools?? This blows my mind. If I were in your shoes, I would write a note back asking if you can go visit THEIR homes to discuss nutrition.

I'm really surprised by all of the defensiveness in these posts.

Fact: You can not determine whether someone is obese, overweight, underweight etc just by "looking at them". People over and under estimate the weight of people all the time. And if you are using the barometer of other kids you've seen to determine this, good luck with that. Kids don't have to look like mini-sumo wrestlers to actually be overweight or obese.

I think that people have issues with the term "obese" as it applies to kids, but this child's BMI is > 99% for age and by definition that is "obese". The word itself is so emotionally charged but the definition as used by the school is the correct definition.

I seriously doubt that the school or nurse told this child she was obese or fat and I don't see the harm in informing the parents about where she falls for her height and weight for her age. Her weight may not be a major issue right now but it could become an issue later if noone is paying attention. So all involved should take this as an FYI and make sure the kid is getting appropriate nutrition and exercise. That's all.

Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but I really don't get all the outrage.