Improving child care through healthy eating and physical activity

Most young children in the United States spend a significant portion of their time in early care and education (ECE) settings, commonly known as child care. This review highlights recent literature to support a continued focus and increased investment in embedding nutrition and physical activity standards within ECE settings and systems as a critical strategy for child obesity prevention. Pediatricians can support the promotion of these standards by understanding their local child care settings and sharing information with families about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity in early childhood.

The child care sector is fragile and complex, but quality improvement efforts have been successful in improving healthy eating and physical activity. Diverse child care providers, including family child care homes, can effectively embed nutrition and physical activity standards in their environments to promote healthy eating and active play, limit screen time, and support breastfeeding families. A small but growing body of evidence also demonstrates how these standards can be embedded in broader state systems to stimulate change across a state.

The literature demonstrates progress supporting diverse child care settings to embed high-impact standards into their environments. There is a small but growing body of evidence around systems-change efforts as well. Greater attention is needed on embedding physical activity standards in facilities, especially family child care homes, and state systems.