Did you know that 58% of working families with children five years old and younger — or about 6.38 million households across the nation — use center-based child care options? That means that a great number of South Carolina children spend their weekdays—including lunch and snack time—in the care of a trusted child care program.
Nutrition is important no matter a person’s age, but it is especially important for children. Nutrition fuels growth and development of little bodies and brains. And while children often eat several times a day while in child care, some studies indicate the meals and snacks offered in child care settings may not be of the highest nutritional quality. Guidelines do exist for nutrition quality, but in many cases, child care programs are not required to adhere to the recommended guidelines—so that’s why it’s important to find a child care program that adheres to best practices when it comes to childhood nutrition.
The ABC’s of Nutrition
ABC Quality, South Carolina's Quality Rating and Improvement System for child care, rates participating child care providers on how well they help your children grow—including whether or not a program offers healthy, nutritious meals and snacks. In an effort to improve the food children receive while in care, ABC Quality first established nutrition standards for child care back in 2012 through their Grow Healthy initiative. These SC standards focus on providing children with more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while reducing the availability of added sugars and saturated fats.
The Child and Adult Care Food Program
A program that helps provide nutritional guidance and makes healthy meals affordable for children in child care programs is the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). This federally funded program is administered locally through the SC Department of Social Services and reimburses child care programs that provide healthy meals and snacks that meet USDA nutritional guidelines. All providers in the ABC Quality program are held to the nutritional standards set by CACFP.
CACFP works to improve, develop, and maintain healthy diets and eating habits by providing guidelines for meals that help children grow and develop in a healthy way. Programs enrolled in CACFP can provide meals and snacks at no charge to families. CACFP also reimburses meals served to children in afterschool programs and emergency shelters and meals served to adults in adult care centers. Over 1,300 child and adult care programs in South Carolina participate in CACFP. For more information on CACFP, click here.
Federal Dietary Guidelines
The USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans also provides advice on what children should eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease, which can be found here.
As a parent or caregiver, it’s important to know the foods your child consumes while in care, but also the variety of foods your child’s program offers. Some providers offer full meals and snacks while others provide light snacks to supplement parent-packed lunches. When selecting the program that’s right for your child, knowing and understanding their nutritional philosophy is the perfect recipe to help ensure your child’s health and developmental success.