Child care providers are a vital part of healthy, thriving communities. Over half of children between the ages of zero and five spend significant time in non-parental child care. These early years are critical for healthy brain development and establishing the habits that last a lifetime. Laws and policies shape how we think of “quality” in child care settings. One key aspect of quality is the food environment. The Public Health Law Center has created an interactive tool to map the early care and education (ECE) food policy environment in Minnesota, beginning with licensed home-based child care settings. This policy map will evolve to include research on other aspects of quality across the range of ECE settings. The map is designed to illustrate how various legal entities and programs connect, interact, or don’t interact as the case may be, with respect to family child care providers and policies that impact food in this setting.
Mapping the Food Policy Environment in Minnesota Child Care
Age Groups: Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Focus Areas: Early Childhood, Nutrition & Agriculture Policy and Programs
Resource Type: Tools & Measures
Keywords: Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Child Care/Preschool, Legal
State: Minnesota
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