Consider Nutrition When Choosing Day-Care Center

When choosing a day-care facility, parents should take into consideration the center's overall nutrition program, including the content of meals and snacks, its nutrition education program and the mealtime environment, says Dr. Theresa Nicklas, a research nutritionist with the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center.

Meals and snacks: Day-care center menus often lack variety. And they tend to be low in calories, iron and zinc, and high in fat and sodium, says Dr. Nicklas, also a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. To avoid these nutritional shortfalls, check that a minimum of fat and sodium is used in food preparation, that menus feature a variety of foods from every group of the Food Guide Pyramid and that selections change frequently.

Menus are also more likely to be nutritionally complete if the center contracts with a registered dietitian to assist with menu planning. Day-care centers should offer children food a minimum of every three hours. Children who are in day-care for eight hours or more should receive at least one meal and two snacks.

Nutrition education: In addition to complying with regulations regarding food safety and sanitation, child-care centers should train staff members in the basics of children's nutrition and methods that promote healthy eating habits, Dr. Nicklas says. Centers that use resources from state, local and national programs like the American Cancer Society and the USDA's Nutrition Education and Training Program usually have effective nutrition-education plans. Dr. Nicklas also suggests that parents look for providers who emphasize good hand-washing habits and for centers with fun, food-related activities, such as a child-tended vegetable garden.

Mealtime environment: Child-care providers who are good role models make mealtime and snacktime positive, cheerful, unhurried events. Dr. Nicklas says providers should sit with children during meal periods, eat the same foods the children do, offer choices and give children an opportunity to serve themselves. They should also engage the children in upbeat food-related conversations, make positive comments about nutrition and encourage, but not require, children to taste all foods.

- From the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine

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Courtesy of Texas Medical Center News

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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URL: http://www.tmc.edu/health_briefs/04_01_00-nutrition.html