Nutrition and physical activity best practices in Illinois early childcare and education settings declined following the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Early childcare and education (ECE) settings, similar to schools, can be a main source of nutrition and physical activity for those attending. ECE providers can have both federal and state nutrition and physical activity requirements to meet, depending on programming the provider participates in (eg, Head Start or the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)), although most guidance constitutes industry best practices for all providers. In 2019, our research team surveyed ECE providers in Illinois on nutrition and physical activity best practices implemented at their programs in anticipation of new licensing standards for day care homes and group homes that would mirror the nutrition and physical activity requirements currently in place for centers. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The pandemic exacerbated the struggles ECE programs face to provide quality childcare, including nutrition and physical activity-related best practices. Our research team was in a unique position to capture and assess the new baseline/normal for ECE providers’ nutrition and physical activity best practices with our follow-up survey. Our paper, “Change in Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in Early Childcare and Education Settings in Illinois During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” reports these findings.
After closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ECE programs faced serious challenges upon reopening– staffing struggles were intensified, supply chain issues emerged, and new safety precautions were in place. Waivers and emergency policies were put in place to mitigate the spread of the virus and reduce food insecurity for those relying on federal food assistance programs provided through ECE programs. Through all this, nutrition and physical activity best practices declined. In Illinois, ECE programs reported serving more fried and pre-fried potatoes, fried/pre-fried meats, sugary drinks and sugary cereals than before the pandemic began. They also used food to calm upset children or encourage appropriate behaviors more often than before. Further, they reported that toddlers spent more time at seated activities than they did pre-pandemic. Declines in meeting best practices were found in particular for centers, as compared to homes, and for ECE providers participating in CACFP and Head Start. Declines for CACFP-participating providers suggest that while federal child nutrition waivers were critical in ensuring the food security of low-income children during the pandemic, they may have had the unintended consequence of reducing the quality of meals and snacks offered by providers.
The changes to ECE programs as a result of COVID-19 have “reset” the baseline for nutrition and physical activity in these programs. In Illinois, we are still waiting for the new licensing standards around nutrition and physical activity to be promulgated. Once in effect, ECE programs may need training and technical assistance to implement the new standards. ECE providers in the state now have a larger gap to meet to get back to and exceed the quality of nutrition and physical activity provided before the pandemic. To learn more about nutrition and physical activity in Illinois visit the Illinois State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program website from the Illinois Public Health Institute at https://iphionline.org/ispan/. Further, the findings of our study are likely to be relevant not only in Illinois but also nationwide. Researchers can work with ECE programs by conducting surveys and focus groups to determine where training and technical assistance is most needed. Our study gives the industry a “heads up” as to where many ECE programs are with addressing nutrition and physical activity. This research can help all ECE stakeholders wrap their heads around how to best assist ECE programs achieve at a minimum previous best practices and work towards new licensing standards once they become available.
To learn more, read our article, “Change in Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in Early Childcare and Education Settings in Illinois During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” in the July 2024 issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.
Acknowledgements
Dr. Yu Chen Lin conducted this work while serving as a research assistant at the University of Illinois Chicago. Mr. Julien Leider, MA is a senior research specialist at the University of Illinois Chicago Institute of Health Research and Policy. Ms. Janna Simon is Director of the Center for Policy & Partnership Initiatives at the Illinois Public Health Institute. Dr. Jamie F. Chriqui, PhD, MHS is the Senior Associate Dean for the School of Public Health, professor of health policy and administration, and Director of Health Policy Research for the Institute for Health Research and Policy, all housed at the University of Illinois Chicago.
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- Rebecca M. Schermbeck, MPH, MS, RD, is a senior research specialist at the University of Illinois Chicago Institute for Health Research and Policy. She has been a part of several nationwide survey and qualitative studies of CACFP implementation, challenges, and facilitators.
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