This paper examined the availability and accessibility of water in child-care centers and evaluated whether the centers were in compliance with current federal, state, and accreditation rules regarding water availability and promotion. Researchers found that while water was available in most classrooms (84%), it was only accessible by an adult in over half of those classrooms. Water was not available for general consumption during lunch observations and was only available during one-third of the observed physical activity periods, when children may have the greatest need for water to keep hydrated. Verbal water promotion from teachers and staff during classroom and physical activity observations was low. Researchers found that many centers were not in compliance with state and federal policies and child-care accreditation standards regarding water availability and promotion.
Published: March 2013
ID #: 63150
Journal: J Nutr Educ Behav
Authors: Middleton AE, Henderson KE, Schwartz MB
Age Groups: Adults and Families, Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Focus Areas: Beverages, Early Childhood
Keywords: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Child Care/Preschool, Water
State: Connecticut
Resource Type: Journal Article
Related Research
December 2011
The Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool: A Measure to Assess the Quality of Written Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies
This paper discusses the development and psychometric properties (range, internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and construct validity) of an instrument–the Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool–to quantitatively evaluate the comprehensiveness and strength of written nutrition and physical activity policies at preschools and child-care centers. To evaluate the instrument, psychometric analyses were conducted on 94 independent policies from MoreSeptember 2011
Validity of a Measure to Assess the Child-Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment
This paper discusses the development and validity of a self-administered survey to assess the nutrition and physical activity environment of child-care centers. The survey assesses four areas related to nutrition and physical activity: center policies, practices related to the social environment, physical environment and nutrition quality. To evaluate criterion validity of the survey, researchers compared MoreSeptember 2007