In January 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a proposed rule detailing potential changes to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) regulations, which are expected to improve the nutritional quality of foods served in CACFP-participating child-care centers. This study will collect baseline data for Connecticut CACFP-participating child-care centers to document the impact of this major policy change. The study objectives are to: 1) assess the nutrition environment of CACFP-participating centers prior to implementation of USDA’s revised CACFP meal patterns, to establish a baseline to assessment of the policy impact; 2) compare CACFP-participating to non-participating centers currently being assessed by a USDA-funded study; and 3) conduct a longitudinal analysis using data from a previous HER-funded study to identify changes in CACFP-participating centers over time. The research team will collect observational and survey data from a sample of CACFP child-care centers in Connecticut, and findings will be analyzed using regression models. Findings will be critical to the evaluation of the USDA’s proposed rule, and help inform future discussions around implementation of nutrition standards in child care.
Start Date: September 2015
ID #: CAS029
Organization: University of Connecticut
Project Lead: Tatiana Andreyeva, PhD
Keywords: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Child Care/Preschool, Nutrition standards
Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary
State: Connecticut
Focus Areas: Early Childhood, Nutrition Policy & Programs
Age Group: Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Related Research
May 2018
Predictors of Nutrition Quality in Early Child Education Settings in Connecticut
This study assessed the dietary quality of lunches and feeding practices in Connecticut child care centers and made comparisons by center participation in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Specifically, overall energy, macronutrient intake, and intake by CACFP meal component were compared with CACFP requirements and recommendations from the Institute of Medicine. MoreApril 2024
Mixed methods evaluation of the COVID-19 changes to the WIC cash-value benefit for fruits and vegetables
Recent cash-value benefit (CVB) increases are a positive development to help increase WIC participant fruits and vegetables (FV) access. This mixed method study aimed to evaluate (a) the CVB changes’ impact on FV access among WIC child participants measured by CVB redemption rates, (b) facilitators and barriers to CVB changes’ implementation, and (c) differences in MoreApril 2024