University of Washington > School of Public Health > Center for Public Health Nutrition > Child Care and Obesity Prevention

Child Care and Obesity Prevention

Healthy child development depends on eating nutritious food and being physically active every day. This is especially important during the preschool years when children are rapidly building their brains and bodies. Nutrition, physical activity, and screen media policies and practices in the child care environment greatly influences what children eat and do, and can play a key role in preventing childhood obesity.

Learn More:

Issue Briefs
Three briefs for child care professionals, policymakers, and
general audiences. Highlight the importance of child care in
obesity prevention efforts and outline best practices and
policy recommendations.
Key Resources
Links to child care nutrition and health programs, toolkits,
guidelines and standards, reports, and other resources.

Issue Briefs

Issue Brief 1: Why Child Care Matters for Obesity Prevention

This one-pager presents the case for focusing on child care as an important part of strategic plans to reduce childhood obesity. It is intended for a wide audience including policymakers, public health officials, and the general public.

Download Brief (pdf)

Issue Brief 2: Best Practices for Nutrition, Physical Activity & Screen Media Time in Child Care Settings

This two-pager provides practical nutrition, physical activity and screen media time recommendations for the child care environment. This brief is for child care providers, child care health consultants, CACFP sponsors and others working in
the child care setting.

Download Brief (pdf)

Issue Brief 3: Child Care and Obesity Prevention: What Policymakers Can Do

This brief provides key policy strategies to support higher standards for nutrition, physical activity, and screen media use in the child care setting. Includes specific actions that can be taken by federal, state, and local policymakers.

Download Brief (pdf)

Key Resources

Child Care Nutrition and Health Programs

Practice Guidelines & Performance Standards

Toolkits

Nutrition & Physical Activity Self Assessment for Child Care - NAP SACC
Tools to enhance policies, practices, and environments in child
care by improving the nutritional quality of food served, amount and quality of physical activity, staff-child interactions, and facility nutrition and physical activity policies and practices and related environmental characteristics.
Washington Active Bodies, Active Minds - WAABAM
Web site, toolkit and training materials to minimize screen time and maximize physical activity in environments for preschool children.
Go Out & Play Kit
A resource to help early childhood educators monitor development through play with fun and interactive activities designed for children 3 through 5 years of age.

Reports & Research

Child Care and Obesity Policy Forum Presentations
Keynote, research update, and panel presentations from the forum on child care, childhood obesity, and policy intervention hosted by the University of Washington Human Services Policy Center and Center for Obesity Research in 2007.
Preschool child care participation and obesity at the start of kindergarten. (abstract) Maher EJ, Li G, Carter L, Johnson DB. Pediatrics. 2008 Aug;122(2):322-30.
The Role of Child Care Settings in Obesity Prevention.
Story M, Kaphingst KM, and French S. The Future of Children: Childhood Obesity. 2006; 16(1).
Child care as an untapped setting for obesity prevention: state child care licensing regulations related to nutrition, physical activity, and media use for preschool-aged children in the United States. Kaphingst KM, Story M. Prev Chronic Dis. 2009 Jan;6(1):A11. Epub 2008 Dec 15.
A Statewide Analysis of the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Family Child Care Providers in Oregon. Kelly Meredith. National CACFP Forum. 2009.
Child Care and Obesity Prevention Bibliography (pdf)
Articles and reports on obesity prevention, nutrition, physical activity, and screen media time reviewed to prepare the Child Care & Obesity issue briefs linked above.