Assessment Methods and Tools

Benjamin SE, Neelon B, Ball SC, et al. "Reliability and Validity of a Nutrition and Physical Activity Environmental Self-Assessment for Child Care." The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 4: 29, 2007.

Jaramillo SJ, Yang SJ, Hughes SO, et al. "Interactive Computerized Fruit and Vegetable Preference Measure for African-American and Hispanic Preschoolers." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 38(6): 352-9, 2006.

Kranz S, Hartman T, Siega-Riz AM, et al. "A Diet Quality Index for American Preschoolers Based on Current Dietary Intake Recommendations and an Indicator of Energy Balance." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106(10): 1594-604, 2006.

Ward D, Hales D, Haverly K, et al. "An Instrument to Assess the Obesogenic Environment of Child Care Centers." American Journal of Health Behavior, 32(4): 380-6, 2008.

General – Standards and Regulations

American Dietetic Association. "Position of the American Dietetic Association: Benchmarks for Nutrition Programs in Child Care Settings." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105(6): 979-86, 2005.  

American Public Health Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care (U.S.), et al. Caring for our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards : Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics and American Public Health Association, 2002.

Benjamin SE, Cradock A, Walker EM, et al. "Obesity Prevention in Child Care: A Review of U.S. State Regulations." BMC Public Health, 8: 188, 2008.

Benjamin SE and Finkelstein J. Preventing Obesity in the Child Care Setting: Evaluating State Regulations. Available at: http://cfm.mc.duke.edu/modules/cfm_ehs_resrch/index.php?id=6.

Benjamin SE, Haines J, Ball SC, et al. "Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity in Child Care: What Parents Recommend." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 108(11): 1907-11, 2008.

Fellman RC."The Child Care System in the United States." In Health and Welfare for Families in the 21st Century, Wallace HM, Green G and Jaros KJ (eds). Boston: Jones and Bartlett, 2003.

Fox MK, Glanz FB, Geitz L, et al. Early Childhood and Child Care Study: Nutritional Assessment of the CACFP. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Service, Office of Analysis & Evaluation, 1997.

Glanz F."Child and Adult Care Food Program, 2004." In Effects of Food Assistance and Nutrition Programs and Health and Nutrition, Fox MK, Hamilton W and Lin BH (eds). Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Food Assistance & Nutrition Research Program, 2004.

Hofferth SL. "Child Care in the United States Today." The Future of Children, 6(2): 41-61, 1996.

 Hughes CC, Gooze RA, Finkelstein DM, et al. "Barriers to Obesity Prevention in Head Start." Health Affairs, 29(3): 454-62, 2010.

Kaphingst KM and Story M. "Child Care as an Untapped Setting for Obesity Prevention: State Child Care Licensing Regulations Related to Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Media use for Preschool-Aged Children in the United States." Preventing Chronic Disease, 6(1): A11, 2009.

Larson N and Story M. Promoting Good Nutrition and Physical Activity in Child-Care Settings. Research Brief. Princeton, NJ: Healthy Eating Research, a National Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, May 2007.

Maher EJ, Li G, Carter L, et al. "Preschool Child Care Participation and Obesity at the Start of Kindergarten." Pediatrics, 122(2): 322-30, 2008.

More J. "Nutritional Standards for Preschool Child Care Units--are there any?" The Journal of Family Health Care, 18(1): 6-8, 2008.

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Childcare, US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Individual States' Child Care Licensure Regulations. Available at http://nrckids.org/STATES/states.htm.

Smolensky E, Gootman JA, Committee on Family and Work Policies, et al. Working Families and Growing Kids: Caring for Children and Adolescents. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2003.

Story M, Kaphingst KM and French S. "The Role of Child Care Settings in Obesity Prevention." The Future of Children, 16(1): 143-68, 2006.

 Whitaker RC, Gooze RA, Hughes CC, et al. "A National Survey of Obesity Prevention Practices in Head Start." Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(12): 1144-50, 2009.

Intake and Diet Quality

Briley ME, Jastrow S, Vickers J, et al. "Dietary Intake at Child-Care Centers and Away: Are Parents and Care Providers Working as Partners Or at Cross-Purposes?" Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 99(8): 950-4, 1999.

Cockroft JE, Durkin M, Masding C, et al. "Fruit and Vegetable Intakes in a Sample of Pre-School Children Participating in the 'Five for all' Project in Bradford." Public Health Nutrition, 8(7): 861-9, 2005.

Cooke LJ, Wardle J, Gibson EL, et al. "Demographic, Familial and Trait Predictors of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption by Pre-School Children." Public Health Nutrition, 7(2): 295-302, 2004.

Corvalan C, Uauy R, Flores R, et al. "Reductions in the Energy Content of Meals Served in the Chilean National Nursery School Council Program did Not Consistently Decrease Obesity among Beneficiaries." The Journal of Nutrition, 138(11): 2237-43, 2008.

Freedman MR and Alvarez KP. "Early Childhood Feeding: Assessing Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Multi-Ethnic Child-Care Providers." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110(3): 447-51, 2010.

Gable S and Lutz S. "Nutrition Socialization Experiences of Children in the Head Start Program." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 101(5): 572-7, 2001.

Hughes SO, Patrick H, Power TG, et al. "The Impact of Child Care Providers' Feeding on Children's Food Consumption." Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 28(2): 100-7, 2007.

Huybrechts I, De Bacquer D, Cox B, et al. "Variation in Energy and Nutrient Intakes among Pre-School Children: Implications for Study Design." European Journal of Public Health, 18(5): 509-16, 2008.

Kranz S, Siega-Riz AM and Herring AH. "Changes in Diet Quality of American Preschoolers between 1977 and 1998." American Journal of Public Health, 94(9): 1525-30, 2004.

Needham L, Dwyer JJ, Randall-Simpson J, et al. "Supporting Healthy Eating among Preschoolers: Challenges for Child Care Staff." Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 68(2): 107-10, 2007.

Padget A and Briley ME. "Dietary Intakes at Child-Care Centers in Central Texas Fail to Meet Food Guide Pyramid Recommendations." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105(5): 790-3, 2005.

Spurrier NJ, Magarey AA, Golley R, et al. "Relationships between the Home Environment and Physical Activity and Dietary Patterns of Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study." The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5: 31, 2008.

Sweitzer SJ, Briley ME and Robert-Gray C. "Do Sack Lunches Provided by Parents Meet the Nutritional Needs of Young Children Who Attend Child Care?" Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(1): 141-4, 2009.

Vereecken C, Huybrechts I, Maes L, et al. "Food Consumption among Preschoolers. does the School make a Difference?" Appetite, 51(3): 723-6, 2008.

Welsh JA, Cogswell ME, Rogers S, et al. "Overweight among Low-Income Preschool Children Associated with the Consumption of Sweet Drinks: Missouri, 1999-2002." Pediatrics, 115(2): e223-9, 2005.

Wilson JF. "Lunch Eating Behavior of Preschool Children. Effects of Age, Gender, and Type of Beverage Served." Physiology & Behavior, 70(1-2): 27-33, 2000.

Ziegler P, Briefel R, Ponza M, et al. "Nutrient Intakes and Food Patterns of Toddlers' Lunches and Snacks: Influence of Location." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106(1 Suppl 1): S124-34, 2006.

Interventions

Ammerman AS, Ward DS, Benjamin SE, et al. "An Intervention to Promote Healthy Weight: Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) Theory and Design." Preventing Chronic Disease, 4(3): A67, 2007.

Dunn C, Thomas C, Ward D, et al. "Design and Implementation of a Nutrition and Physical Activity Curriculum for Child Care Settings." Preventing Chronic Disease, 3(2): A58, 2006.

Fitzgibbon ML, Stolley MR, Dyer AR, et al. "A Community-Based Obesity Prevention Program for Minority Children: Rationale and Study Design for Hip-Hop to Health Jr." Preventive Medicine, 34(2): 289-97, 2002.

Fitzgibbon ML, Stolley MR, Schiffer L, et al. "Two-Year Follow-Up Results for Hip-Hop to Health Jr.: A Randomized Controlled Trial for Overweight Prevention in Preschool Minority Children." The Journal of Pediatrics, 146(5): 618-25, 2005.

Ward DS, Benjamin SE, Ammerman AS, et al. "Nutrition and Physical Activity in Child Care: Results from an Environmental Intervention." American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 35(4): 352-6, 2008.

Ward DS, Vaughn A, McWilliams C, et al. "Interventions for Increasing Physical Activity at Child Care." Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 42(3): 526-34, 2010.

Vereecken C, Huybrechts I, van Houte H, et al. "Results from a Dietary Intervention Study in Preschools "Beastly Healthy at School"." International Journal of Public Health, 54(3): 142-9, 2009.

Williams CL, Bollella MC, Strobino BA, et al. ""Healthy-Start": Outcome of an Intervention to Promote a Heart Healthy Diet in Preschool Children." Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 21(1): 62-71, 2002.

Williams CL, Strobino BA, Bollella M, et al. "Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in Preschool Children: The "Healthy Start" Project." Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 23(2): 117-23, 2004.

Menu

Benjamin SE, Copeland KA, Cradock A, et al. "Menus in Child Care: A Comparison of State Regulations with National Standards." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(1): 109-15, 2009.

Briley ME, Roberts-Gray C and Rowe S. "What can Children Learn from the Menu at the Child Care Center?" Journal of Community Health, 18(6): 363-77, 1993.

Briley ME, Roberts-Gray C and Simpson D. "Identification of Factors that Influence the Menu at Child Care Centers: A Grounded Theory Approach." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 94(3): 276-81, 1994.

Crepinsek MK, Burstein NR, Lee EB, et al. Meals Offered by Tier 2 CACFP Family Child Care Providers: Effects of Lower Meal Reimbursements. A Report to Congress on the Family Child Care Homes Legislative Changes Study. Washington, D.C.: Economic Research Service, 2002.

Fleischhacker S, Cason KL and Achterberg C. ""You had Peas Today?": A Pilot Study Comparing a Head Start Child-Care Center's Menu with the Actual Food Served." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106(2): 277-80, 2006.

Oakley CB, Bomba AK, Knight KB, et al. "Evaluation of Menus Planned in Mississippi Child-Care Centers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 95(7): 765-8, 1995.

Romaine N, Mann L, Kienapple K, et al. "Menu Planning for Childcare Centres: Practices and Needs." Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 68(1): 7-13, 2007.