Eating well is equally important for the healthy development of young children, and research has shown
that public programs can improve the nutritional quality of the food consumed in child care settings.
Children in early childhood settings who are served by USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program
(CACFP) eat healthier food than children who bring meals and snacks from home.
109 A comparison of
meal quality among licensed early learning sites in California found that children eating meals provided
in Head Start had the highest meal quality scores, followed by those eating in non-Head Start under
CACFP. Meal quality scores were higher among center-based versus home-based facilities.
110
Many programs have already seized the opportunity to provide healthier foods and have implemented
evidence-informed initiatives that encourage healthy eating and fun, developmentally-appropriate
physical activity. Still, there is room for improvement.
111 Empirically-based and practice-tested strategies
for improving these settings have been identified and provide a basis for the recommendations
outlined in this chapter. Through concerted and coordinated effort at the Federal, state, and local levels,
today’s early learning settings can support healthy weight through the development of good habits for
nutrition, physical activity, and screen time.
Each state creates and enforces its own child care licensing standards, as well as other program standards
for center-based and family child care homes. Not all child care facilities are required to be licensed in