ECE Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices Decreased During Pandemic

Summary

Nine nutrition-related best practices were maintained and 5 declined over time. Centers, CACFP, and Head Start providers reported significant declines in meeting nutrition-related practices over time. A total of 8 physical activity-related best practices were maintained and 1 declined over time. Centers reported a significant decline in 5 of the physical activity-related best practices over time, and these declines were significantly different than in homes over time. Similarly, Head Start programs reported a decline in 4 physical activity-related best practices over time, and the change was significantly different from non-Head Start programs in 3 of the 4 practices.

• ECE providers in Illinois reported significant declines in a number of nutrition and PA-related best practices between 2019 and the end of 2022.
• Centers, CACFP, and Head Start providers all saw significant declines in meeting nutrition and physical activity-related best practices, and for many practices, they were significantly different than changes experienced by homes, non-CACFP, and non-Head Start providers.
• Federal child nutrition waivers were critical in providing food to low-income children during the pandemic; they may have had the unintended consequences of negatively impacting the meal and snack quality offered by CACFP providers.

Key Findings

• The COVID-19 pandemic intensified early childcare and education (ECE) providers’ struggles to provide quality childcare, including meeting nutrition standards and physical activity (PA)-related best practices.
• Childcare providers also found it difficult to keep up with constant changes to guidelines and recommendations. This is likely to have exacerbated existing disparities in access to high-quality childcare by low-income and minoritized populations that were also disproportionately impacted by COVID-19
• Programs that participated in CACFP were significantly less likely to report meeting 6 best practices at follow-up (as compared to the initial survey). Non-CACFP programs were less likely to meet 1 best practice.
• A 2021 qualitative study reported a general decline in the nutritional quality of foods served at childcare programs. These findings align with this study’s findings that nutritional best practices related to the quality of food served declined during the pandemic among Illinois ECE providers.
• This research also found that homes may have fared better than centers, as homes remained more consistent over time with maintaining best practices than centers.
• During the pandemic, states were allowed to implement multiple waivers for CACFP providers to reduce food insecurity. The meal pattern flexibility waiver allowed for providers to be reimbursed for meals and snacks that may not meet the meal pattern requirements.
  • While the waivers helped to counter food insecurity concerns, they may have had unintended consequences for the integrity of the meals that were provided.
  • The present study found that CACFP-participating programs became less likely to meet nutritional BPs over time, while there was limited change in non-cacfp-participating programs.

For more information, read Change in Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in Early Childcare and Education Settings in Illinois During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The study was written by Rebecca M. Schermbeck, MPH, MS, RD; Yu Chen Lin, PhD, MS; Julien Leider, MA; Janna Simon, MPH; and Jamie Chriqui, PhD, MHS.