Early Child Care

Daycare Is the New Frontier for Obesity Prevention

Early childhood is a critical time for obesity prevention. Children are developing taste preferences, learning to walk and play, and eagerly mimicking both healthy and unhealthy behaviors of their caregivers. Yet for many children, those caregivers may be someone other than their parents: In the U.S., for example, it’s estimated that 75 percent of children spend time in child care, for an average of 35 hours per week. (1)

Sadly, child obesity rates are rising worldwide, even among the youngest of children: Globally, an estimated 43 million preschool children were overweight or obese in 2010, a 60 percent increase since 1990. (2) And children’s early-life experiences, such as lack of breast feeding, too-little sleep, and too-much television can increase the risk of obesity later in life. That’s why early child care providers have such a crucial role to play in turning around the obesity epidemic.

Child care providers are in a unique position to educate parents about healthy eating and activity habits, and also to provide a healthy environment for children to eat, play, and grow. They can serve children age-appropriate healthy foods, and limit junk food, sugary drinks, and juice. They can offer children lots of opportunities for active play, in fun, short bursts throughout the day. And they can keep televisions turned off and away from areas where children sleep. When parents also adopt these practices at home, children are assured the best chance of growing into a healthy weight.

Child care providers are in a unique position to educate parents about healthy eating and activity habits, and also to provide a healthy environment for children to eat, play, and grow. They can serve children age-appropriate healthy foods, and limit junk food, sugary drinks, and juice. They can offer children lots of opportunities for active play, in fun, short bursts throughout the day. And they can keep televisions turned off and away from areas where children sleep. When parents also adopt these practices at home, children are assured the best chance of growing into a healthy weight. This section of The Obesity Prevention Source summarizes obesity prevention recommendations for early child care providers, based on a review of expert guidance from the Institute of Medicine, the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and others. These nutrition, feeding-style, activity, screen time, and sleep recommendations are appropriate guidelines for parents to follow, as well. For more detailed guidance on these recommendations and ideas for putting them into practice, explore the source list on each page, as well as the links to useful tool-kits and other resources. For more information on childcare and nutrition, please visit the following pages: