Providing Water With Meals is Not a Concern for Young Children: Summary of the Literature & Best Practice Recommendations

Promoting water intake has been proposed in order to displace the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, and new federal and California laws now require water availability in child-care settings. However, some child-care staff have voiced concerns that if young children are provided water with meals, they will fill up on the water and not consume enough More

Preventing Obesity Among Preschool Children: How Can Child-Care Settings Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity? A Research Synthesis

The preschool years are a critically important period for developing healthy food preferences and motor skills. Since the majority of U.S. children are placed in some form of non-parental care during their preschool years, these settings provide opportunities to promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among preschool children. Given the widespread use of child More

Evaluating the Impact of a California Statute Regulating Beverages Served in Licensed Child-Care Settings

Because lifelong diet habits are shaped in early childhood, California Food Policy Advocates worked with the California Legislature to successfully pass legislation creating healthy beverage standards for all licensed child-care settings. California is among the first states to establish such standards for licensed child care. This project seeks to evaluate the impact of these standards. More

Evaluating the Quality of Child-Care Nutrition, Physical Activity and Screen-Time Practices to Inform Policies to Prevent Childhood Obesity

Prior research evaluating children’s diets and physical activity report the need for improvements to ensure their daily nutrition and activity needs are met while in child-care settings. Limited research has examined nutrition and physical activity policies of child-care programs. This study will evaluate the quality of these policies in relation to observed practices, staff awareness More

What Role Can Child-Care Settings Play in Obesity Prevention? A Review of the Evidence and Call for Research Efforts

This article summarizes the scientific literature on state regulations, practices and policies, and interventions for promoting healthy eating and physical activity, and for preventing obesity in preschool-aged children attending child care. Findings of the review indicate that most states lack strong healthy eating and physical activity regulations for child-care settings. Assessments of child-care settings suggest More

Encouraging Consumption of Water in School and Child Care Settings: Access, Challenges, and Strategies for Improvement

Children and adolescents are not consuming enough water. Since children spend most of their day in school and child care settings, ensuring that safe, potable water is available in these settings is essential. This article identifies challenges that limit access to drinking water, including deteriorating drinking water infrastructure, limited drinking water availability, insufficient federal meal More

Examining the Effects of School Drinking-Water Policies and Practices on Student Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in California

Few U.S. studies have investigated school drinking water access and policies and practices related to school drinking water. This project will investigate drinking water availability, policies and practices, and barriers to implementing programs and policies to improve drinking water access and intake in California public schools. If pending California state legislation to improve drinking water More

Understanding School Leaders’ Perspective of the Barriers and Facilitators in Making Free Water Available in Schools

Water, as a beverage replacement for sugar-sweetened beverages, is a promising school-based obesity prevention strategy. Implemented in July 2011, California Senate Bill 1413 (SB1413) requires schools to provide free, fresh drinking water during mealtimes in school food service areas. This research project examined barriers and facilitators that influence the availability of free water in school More