New study from Nutrition Policy Institute highlights more nutritious foods and beverages for children at child care sites participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

Apr 13, 2020

Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) researchers' latest study on the quality of beverages, meals and snacks served to young children in licensed child care settings in California suggests sites that participate in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are more likely to provide nutritious foods and beverages compared to sites that do not participate in CACFP. The study is available online ahead of print in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. The CACFP is a program of the United States Department of Agriculture that reimburses child care institutions and family child care home providers for providing nutritious meals and snacks to the children in their care aged birth up to twelve years old. The project was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Healthy Eating Research Program, and was conducted in collaboration with Elyse Homel Vitale of the Child Care Food Program Roundtable (previously with California Food Policy Advocates at the time of the study) and Sallie Yoshida of Social Policy Research Associates (previously with Sarah Samuels Center for Public Health Research & Evaluation. 


By Danielle Louhrine Lee
Author - Director of Communications & Research Engagement