As one of USDA’s food assistance entitlement programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CAC... more As one of USDA’s food assistance entitlement programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides nutritious meals and snacks to 2.9 million low-income American children, by reimbursing eligible childcare providers. CACFP also has suggested written feeding guideline policies to foster a supportive feeding environment, including allowing children to serve themselves. Interestingly, these guidelines are congruent with recommendations to prevent childhood overweight. Moreover, they support the concept of Satter’s division of responsibility. This concept assumes adults are responsible for selecting, preparing and offering healthful foods as well as determining when and where meals and snacks are served. On the other hand, children are responsible for how much they eat, or whether they eat at all— control of food intake.
Many child care food program guidelines recommend family-style food service as a best practice fo... more Many child care food program guidelines recommend family-style food service as a best practice for feeding young children in group settings. However, some child care providers resist these guidelines, expressing concerns about convenience, food waste, and time constraints. This study was conducted to determine if there are differences in food intake, waste, and time required for eating when young children
ABSTRACT The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays a critical role by providing food to... more ABSTRACT The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays a critical role by providing food to children from low-income families while they are enrolled in licensed childcare or attending approved after-school programs. There is little documentation about ...
For obesity prevention planning in early childhood programs, attitudes and actions of staff relat... more For obesity prevention planning in early childhood programs, attitudes and actions of staff related to communicating with parents about young children's eating and weight need to be assessed. Early childhood program teachers (n = 271) working with children aged 3 to 5 years were surveyed by mail. Factor analysis provided patterns of response for multi-item questions. Respondents reported different levels of agreement and comfort regarding communicating concerns to parents about their child's weight and eating versus observations about the child's daily eating. Feelings about parent communication varied (worried, hesitant, responsible, and willing). Findings suggest opportunities for communication between program staff and parents.
To explore child care staff and parent perspectives and communications about children&amp... more To explore child care staff and parent perspectives and communications about children's eating in child care. Focus groups (FGs) conducted with child care staff and parents. Four Western states in the United States. Thirty-nine child care staff in 7 FGs and 25 parents in 6 FGs. Thoughts and concerns about children's eating and opportunities to improve communication between staff and parents. Content analysis (FG coding inter-rater reliability: staff = 0.74; parents = 0.81) and identification of meta-themes. Three meta-themes were identified: (1) recognition of positive influences of the child care setting in children's development of healthy eating; (2) concerns about children's eating in child care and at home; and (3) strategies to improve communications and transactions related to children's eating. Staff reported that their roles included informing parents about food at mealtimes in child care (eg, menus, recipes) but also educating parents about child nutrition and feeding. Parents valued daily information about their child's eating to adjust home mealtimes and to feel connected to their child. Barriers to effective communication included limited time and concerns regarding parent reactions and defensiveness. Staff requested training about child nutrition and feeding and about sensitive communications with parents.
Strategies to prevent adult chronic diseases, including obesity, must start in childhood. Because... more Strategies to prevent adult chronic diseases, including obesity, must start in childhood. Because many preschool-aged children spend mealtimes in child care facilities, staff should be taught supportive feeding practices for childhood obesity prevention. Higher obesity rates among low-income children suggest that centers providing care to these children require special attention. We compared self-reported feeding practices at child care centers serving low-income children on the basis of whether they received funding and support from the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which suggests supportive feeding practices. We also assessed training factors that could account for differences among centers. Eligible licensed child care centers (n = 1600) from California, Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada received surveys. Of the 568 responding centers, 203 enrolled low-income families and served meals. We analyzed the responses of 93 directors and 278 staff for CACFP-funded centers and 110...
As one of USDA’s food assistance entitlement programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CAC... more As one of USDA’s food assistance entitlement programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides nutritious meals and snacks to 2.9 million low-income American children, by reimbursing eligible childcare providers. CACFP also has suggested written feeding guideline policies to foster a supportive feeding environment, including allowing children to serve themselves. Interestingly, these guidelines are congruent with recommendations to prevent childhood overweight. Moreover, they support the concept of Satter’s division of responsibility. This concept assumes adults are responsible for selecting, preparing and offering healthful foods as well as determining when and where meals and snacks are served. On the other hand, children are responsible for how much they eat, or whether they eat at all— control of food intake.
Many child care food program guidelines recommend family-style food service as a best practice fo... more Many child care food program guidelines recommend family-style food service as a best practice for feeding young children in group settings. However, some child care providers resist these guidelines, expressing concerns about convenience, food waste, and time constraints. This study was conducted to determine if there are differences in food intake, waste, and time required for eating when young children
ABSTRACT The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays a critical role by providing food to... more ABSTRACT The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays a critical role by providing food to children from low-income families while they are enrolled in licensed childcare or attending approved after-school programs. There is little documentation about ...
For obesity prevention planning in early childhood programs, attitudes and actions of staff relat... more For obesity prevention planning in early childhood programs, attitudes and actions of staff related to communicating with parents about young children's eating and weight need to be assessed. Early childhood program teachers (n = 271) working with children aged 3 to 5 years were surveyed by mail. Factor analysis provided patterns of response for multi-item questions. Respondents reported different levels of agreement and comfort regarding communicating concerns to parents about their child's weight and eating versus observations about the child's daily eating. Feelings about parent communication varied (worried, hesitant, responsible, and willing). Findings suggest opportunities for communication between program staff and parents.
To explore child care staff and parent perspectives and communications about children&amp... more To explore child care staff and parent perspectives and communications about children's eating in child care. Focus groups (FGs) conducted with child care staff and parents. Four Western states in the United States. Thirty-nine child care staff in 7 FGs and 25 parents in 6 FGs. Thoughts and concerns about children's eating and opportunities to improve communication between staff and parents. Content analysis (FG coding inter-rater reliability: staff = 0.74; parents = 0.81) and identification of meta-themes. Three meta-themes were identified: (1) recognition of positive influences of the child care setting in children's development of healthy eating; (2) concerns about children's eating in child care and at home; and (3) strategies to improve communications and transactions related to children's eating. Staff reported that their roles included informing parents about food at mealtimes in child care (eg, menus, recipes) but also educating parents about child nutrition and feeding. Parents valued daily information about their child's eating to adjust home mealtimes and to feel connected to their child. Barriers to effective communication included limited time and concerns regarding parent reactions and defensiveness. Staff requested training about child nutrition and feeding and about sensitive communications with parents.
Strategies to prevent adult chronic diseases, including obesity, must start in childhood. Because... more Strategies to prevent adult chronic diseases, including obesity, must start in childhood. Because many preschool-aged children spend mealtimes in child care facilities, staff should be taught supportive feeding practices for childhood obesity prevention. Higher obesity rates among low-income children suggest that centers providing care to these children require special attention. We compared self-reported feeding practices at child care centers serving low-income children on the basis of whether they received funding and support from the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which suggests supportive feeding practices. We also assessed training factors that could account for differences among centers. Eligible licensed child care centers (n = 1600) from California, Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada received surveys. Of the 568 responding centers, 203 enrolled low-income families and served meals. We analyzed the responses of 93 directors and 278 staff for CACFP-funded centers and 110...
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