Appendix C2 Study Fact Sheet

C.2 Study Fact Sheet

Study of Nutrition and Activity in Child Care Settings (SNACS)

Study Fact Sheet

Study Background

In section 223 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, Congress directed the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a nationally representative study of child care centers and family day care homes. The objectives set out by Congress encompass four broad topics: 1) nutritional quality of foods offered, 2) physical activity, 3) sedentary activity, and 4) barriers to and facilitators of nutritional quality, physical activity, and participation by child-care centers and family day care homes in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The study team includes Abt Associates as the prime contractor and several partners: Abt SRBI, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; Momentum Center, University of Michigan; Sarah Samuels Center, and Early Childhood Policy Research (ECPR).

Sample and Design

SNACS will collect a broad range of data from a national sample across 20 States which will include: (1) over 1,500 child care centers, family day care homes, and afterschool programs that participate in the CACFP, and those that do not participate in CACFP; and (2) approximately 3,000 children and 4,000 parents of children receiving care from CACFP child care centers, family day care homes, and afterschool programs. The data collection will focus in the following areas: nutrition and wellness policies and practices, meals and snacks served, child food intake, and meal costs and revenues.

Activities

As part of the study, staff at child care providers will provide information through surveys about meals they serve to infants and children for a one-week period and activities they provide for children during child care hours. Professionally trained data collectors will conduct observations and onsite data collection at a sample of child care centers and programs. In addition, some parents of children receiving child care will be asked to take part in a short telephone interview and/or provide information about food his/her child eats outside of child care. Data collection will take place between January and June 2016. Being part of the study will not affect any USDA benefits received by programs or families participating in this data collection.

Benefits

Compensation will be provided to staff involved in some of the data collection activities and to parents for their time. In addition, study participants will be making an important contribution to this historic and comprehensive study providing important information on nutrition and activity in child care settings, as the CACFP and other Federal and State initiatives evolve.

Timeline of Key Activities

Key Activities	Schedule
Selection and Recruitment of Providers & Parents	October 2015 to April 2016
Conduct Data Collection	January 2016 to June 2016
Interim Reports	September 2016 to August 2017
Final Report	Spring/Summer 2019

Study Contact Information

Study toll-free hotline telephone number: 844-808-4777

Study email address: SNACS@abtassoc.com