Licensed Child Care Providers Research Articles

Implementing active play standards: a qualitative study with licensed childcare providers in British Columbia, Canada.

With an increasing number of children attending regular early childhood education and care (ECEC), this setting presents an opportunity to develop physical activity habits and movement skills of children. These behaviours play an important role in the development and well-being of children. In 2017, an Active Play Standard was introduced in British Columbia, Canada, to mandate practices related to physical activity, screen time and movement skill development in licensed ECEC. A capacity-building initiative including training and online resources was released alongside these guidelines to support implementation. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the barriers and facilitators ECEC practitioners faced in implementing the standard, and to explore the role of the capacity-building initiative. Data were collected via semi-structured telephone interviews with educators (n = 23). Data were coded using thematic analysis and sorted into three major themes influencing provision of physical activity opportunities: attributes and impact of the Active Play standard and capacity-building workshop, characteristics of providers and characteristics of ECEC settings. Future studies should consider targeting factors including organizational culture and climate, and provider capacity to provide physical activity and fundamental movement skill programming, and support for facility level policies and collaborative planning processes that create a positive physical activity culture.

Provider Adherence to Nutrition and Physical Activity Best Practices Within Early Care and Education Settings in Minnesota, Helping to Reduce Early Childhood Health Disparities.

Licensed child care providers, and the early care and education settings in which they operate, are uniquely situated to influence children's healthy eating and physical activity through practices, attitudes, and supportive physical and social environments. However, preliminary research indicates that child-, family-, and provider-level characteristics affect adherence to best practices across early care and education settings. The current article used survey data ( n = 618) to characterize differences in child care providers' adherence to nutrition, physical activity, and mealtime best practices, based on child-, family- and provider-level characteristics, and to describe secular trends in adherence to nutrition and physical activity best practices between 2010 and 2016. Results indicate that differences exist across certain characteristics, including child race/ethnicity, family's use of child care assistance, language spoken at home, and provider educational attainment; however, it is notable that in most cases providers serving children of minority race and children in low-income families have a higher rate of compliance with the nutrition and physical activity best practices studied. Additionally, the comparison of adherence to best practices from 2010 to 2016 suggests that, while there was an increase in mean adherence from 2010 to 2016, overall trends in adherence across child-, family- and provider-level characteristics have been consistent across time. Public health professionals should continue to advocate for opportunities for providers to learn how to best incorporate best practices within their setting (e.g., education and training opportunities) as well as for the development and adoption of systems-level changes (e.g., expansion of food assistance programs) to reduce barriers to adherence to best practices.

Universal screening to promote early identification of developmental delays: exploring childcare providers’ beliefs and practices

ABSTRACTDespite the availability of tools for conducting universal developmental screening, only a fraction of children who could benefit from early intervention services are actually identified before reaching school age. Childcare providers are in a unique position to enhance early identification efforts. A web-based survey was distributed to all licensed childcare providers (centre- and family-based) throughout one Midwestern state to learn about their beliefs and practices associated with universal screening. Preliminary results, based on 1565 responses, indicate that only 16.3% of licensed childcares are conducting developmental screening. However, 54% reported believing it to be part of their role. In addition to this discrepancy, beliefs about their role in developmental screening were also related to other practices that are associated with early identification efforts. Implications and suggestions for practice and policy changes related to early, universal developmental screening in childcare are discussed relative to existing belief systems and professional development needs.

Who’s feeding baby? Non-maternal involvement in feeding and its association with dietary intakes among infants and toddlers

This study examined non-maternal involvement in feeding during the first 2years of life and its association with breastfeeding duration, early introduction of complementary foods, and dietary intakes of selected foods and beverages. Data were from the Infant Care, Feeding and Risk of Obesity Study, a cohort of 217 low-income, African–American mother–infant dyads, followed from 3 to 18months postpartum. Non-maternal caregivers (NMCs) were defined as persons involved in feeding an infant/toddler 50% or more of the total daily feedings. Use of any NMC and the type of NMC was tabulated for each study visit (3, 6, 9, 12, and 18months). At each time point, more than half of all households reported a NMC. Fathers, grandmothers, and licensed childcare providers were the most common types of NMCs. In longitudinal models adjusted for confounding variables, NMC use was associated with a decreased likelihood of continued breastfeeding, and an increased likelihood of infants and toddlers consuming juice or whole fruit. Given the high prevalence of non-maternal involvement in feeding, interventions targeting multiple family members are warranted as they are likely to be more effective than those targeting the mother alone.

Influence of behavioral concerns and early childhood expulsions on the development of early childhood mental health consultation in Colorado.

This article examines how the Colorado study Children With Social, Emotional and Behavioral Concerns and the Providers Who Support Them (S.D. Hoover, 2006) was used to advance a statewide agenda for early childhood mental health consultation in Colorado. The study involved a survey of licensed childcare providers throughout the state asking about the behavior of children in their care and their responses to that behavior. Exclusion of children from early care and education settings due to challenging behavior was found to be a significant problem taking a toll on families, children, and early care and education providers. Importantly, results from the survey indicated that the rate of exclusion of children from care due to challenging behavior was lower for family childcare providers who had access to mental health consultation. Recommendations are offered regarding the infrastructure needed to sustain mental health consultation capacity in early care and education settings, and related policies and practices.

Early Childhood Nature Play: A Needs Assessment of Minnesota Licensed Childcare Providers

Due to a growing body of evidence suggesting nature play experiences support the healthy development of young children, a needs assessment of licensed childcare providers in Minnesota was conducted. The purpose was to inform efforts toward ensuring all young children in Minnesota have the opportunities to gain the benefits nature play offers. Based on the results of a cross-sectional survey of 81 licensed childcare providers, results indicate there is a need to increase the amount of time preschool-aged children are playing outdoors, and specifically playing outdoors in natural areas. Results also suggest a need to increase access (or perceived access) to natural areas, and in particular among those providers who report serving primarily children of a lower socio-economic status (SES). Results suggest respondents recognize the benefits of outdoor play, but there may be a need to raise awareness of the benefits of outdoor play in nature. Key obstacles to be addressed in future efforts to encourage nature play for preschool-aged children include lack of access (perceived access) to natural areas, lack of appropriate clothing, safety/liability concerns, and lack of time. Efforts to reduce obstacles may be of particular importance for providers serving children of lower SES. These results may be used to guide future discussions and actions regarding strategies, policies, and programs for incorporating nature play into childcare programs for preschool-aged children.

WHO framework case study: Carbamates

This study examined non-maternal involvement in feeding during the first 2 years of life and its association with breastfeeding duration, early introduction of complementary foods, and dietary intakes of selected foods and beverages. Data were from the Infant Care, Feeding and Risk of Obesity Study, a cohort of 217 low-income, African–American mother–infant dyads, followed from 3 to 18 months postpartum. Non-maternal caregivers (NMCs) were defined as persons involved in feeding an infant/toddler 50% or more of the total daily feedings. Use of any NMC and the type of NMC was tabulated for each study visit (3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months). At each time point, more than half of all households reported a NMC. Fathers, grandmothers, and licensed childcare providers were the most common types of NMCs. In longitudinal models adjusted for confounding variables, NMC use was associated with a decreased likelihood of continued breastfeeding, and an increased likelihood of infants and toddlers consuming juice or whole fruit. Given the high prevalence of non-maternal involvement in feeding, interventions targeting multiple family members are warranted as they are likely to be more effective than those targeting the mother alone.

Perceptions of mother-infant separations and attitudes toward non-maternal care: Social class differences

This study examined non-maternal involvement in feeding during the first 2 years of life and its association with breastfeeding duration, early introduction of complementary foods, and dietary intakes of selected foods and beverages. Data were from the Infant Care, Feeding and Risk of Obesity Study, a cohort of 217 low-income, African–American mother–infant dyads, followed from 3 to 18 months postpartum. Non-maternal caregivers (NMCs) were defined as persons involved in feeding an infant/toddler 50% or more of the total daily feedings. Use of any NMC and the type of NMC was tabulated for each study visit (3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months). At each time point, more than half of all households reported a NMC. Fathers, grandmothers, and licensed childcare providers were the most common types of NMCs. In longitudinal models adjusted for confounding variables, NMC use was associated with a decreased likelihood of continued breastfeeding, and an increased likelihood of infants and toddlers consuming juice or whole fruit. Given the high prevalence of non-maternal involvement in feeding, interventions targeting multiple family members are warranted as they are likely to be more effective than those targeting the mother alone.