Implementing the New Child and Adult Care Food Program’s Nutrition Standards in Boston

Implementing the New Child and Adult Care Food Program’s Nutrition Standards in Boston

PROGRAM EVALUATION BRIEF — Volume 17 — June 18, 2020

Mary Kathryn Poole, MPH1; Angie L. Cradock, ScD, MPE, MS2; Erica L. Kenney, ScD, MPH1,2 (View author affiliations)

Suggested citation for this article: Poole MK, Cradock AL, Kenney EL. Implementing the New Child and Adult Care Food Program’s Nutrition Standards in Boston. Prev Chronic Dis 2020;17:190426. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.190426external icon.

PEER REVIEWED

On This Page

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Purpose and Objectives
• Intervention Approach
• Evaluation Methods
• Results
• Implications for Public Health
• Acknowledgments
• Author Information
• References
• Table

Summary

What is already known on this topic?

It is unknown whether providers in Boston Family Child Care Homes (FCCHs) are supported in implementing the new Child and Adult Care Food Program’s nutrition standards, which were enacted in 2017.

What is added by this report?

Few FCCH providers attended a training or received technical assistance for the nutrition standards before the new standards went into effect; uptake had not increased significantly 1 year later. Although most providers were aware of the revised standards, they had little knowledge of what the standards entailed.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Training and technical assistance opportunities that address gaps in knowledge about the new standards may be needed to assist FCCHs with their implementation.

Abstract

In 2017, the US Department of Agriculture’s Child and Adult Care Food Program’s (CACFP’s) nutrition standards were updated to improve nutrition and meal quality while remaining feasible for child care providers to implement. We conducted a pre–post study of 13 family child care home (FCCH) providers in Boston, Massachusetts, to compare reported opportunities for training and technical assistance and knowledge of new nutrition standards before the effective date of the updates (October 1, 2017) and 1 year later. The McNemar test was used to test for differences in provider responses. Few FCCH providers received training or technical assistance or had knowledge of most new standards at baseline or at follow-up; however, provider-reported knowledge of the whole-grain standard improved over time (from 6 providers to 12 providers) (P = .03). One year post implementation, FCCH providers still needed additional training, technical assistance, or other support to meet the new nutrition standards for meals served to children.