Dietary intake at child-care centers and away: are parents and care providers working as partners or at cross-purposes?
To examine how meals and snacks children consume before and after their time at a child-care facility complement the menu at the facility. Dietary intake of children at and away from the child-care center was compared with recommended standards for child nutrition. Registered dietitians observed foods consumed at the center during 3 consecutive days. Parents reported foods consumed away from the center during the same 3 days. Six nonprofit child-care centers with strong menus (i.e., menus that come close to meeting dietary recommendations) and 6 with menus supplying less than 50% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance were selected for study. Five families at each center were invited to participate. Complete data sets were obtained for 51 children aged 3 to 6 years. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated to compare the children's dietary intake during center time and family time and over a full day with recommended standards. Energy and nutrient profiles and food frequencies were included in the analysis. Children consumed plenty of foods at the center and away from the following groups: meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, nuts; milk, yogurt, cheese; and fruit, fruit juice. Most children failed to consume enough vegetables. Nearly all the children failed to consume enough bread, cereal, pasta, and rice, especially while at the center. The majority ate more than sparing amounts of fats, oils, and sweets, especially during family time. Average percentage of energy from fat was 33 +/- 4. Intakes of concern for the full day were energy, iron, sodium, and zinc. Child-care menus are an appropriate target for increasing iron and zinc by serving more cereal and whole grains. Families are an appropriate target for reducing young children's consumption of fats, oils, and sweets. Nutrition education and advocacy are needed to strengthen the partnership between parents and caregivers.