Published: July 2016

ID #: CAS020

Publisher: Nemours Children's Health System

Authors: Julie Shuell, MPA

See more related research

Share


In the early 2000s, states began developing Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) as a structural approach to improve the quality of Early Care and Education (ECE) programs. QRIS are voluntary or required systems designed to reach large numbers of ECE providers, particularly those serving lower-income children receiving child-care subsidies. The topics covered by QRIS (e.g., curriculum, workforce development, health and safety) vary by state. This study aimed to learn about strategies to promote healthy eating, breastfeeding, physical activity, and limit screen time (referred to as “HEPA”) in state QRIS implementation. The purpose of this report is to provide data, recommendations, and case study examples to state-level administrators and stakeholders on how to more effectively use QRIS as a lever for change in childhood obesity prevention. It also identifies opportunities for continued research to advance childhood obesity prevention in ECE settings. This report summarizes information learned from 24 states that have identified practices related to HEPA they want to promote via the state QRIS. Case studies from seven states (Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin) highlight strategies to support ECE providers’ childhood obesity prevention efforts.

Related Research

June 2015

State Quality Rating and Improvement Systems: Analysis of Strategies to Support Achievement of Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Best Practices in Early Care and Education Settings

In the 1990s, states began developing Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) as a structural approach to improve the quality of early care and education (ECE) programs. Nemours’ experience implementing obesity prevention efforts in nine states has demonstrated that QRIS systems may be leveraged to promote childhood obesity prevention in addition to school readiness and More

February 2025

Consumption of the Food Groups with the Revised Benefits in the New WIC Food Package: A Scoping Review

On 18 April 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the first food package changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in over a decade, which reduced some food benefits (juice, milk, canned fish, and infant fruits and vegetables) and offered substitutes (cash-value vouchers (CVVs) or cash-value More

January 2025

A Systematic Review: The Impact of COVID-19 Policy Flexibilities on SNAP and WIC Programmatic Outcomes

The objective of this study was to explore the impact of policy flexibilities deployed during the COVID-19 public health emergency on access, enrollment/retention, benefit utilization, and perceptions of SNAP and WIC. The review identified 37 eligible articles. Twelve studies evaluated policy flexibilities in SNAP only, 21 in WIC only, and 4 in both programs. Across More