AUTHOR=Erinosho Temitope , Jana Bethany , Loefstedt Kaitlyn , Vu Maihan , Ward Dianne TITLE=Experiences pertaining to child nutrition and care provision among early care and education stakeholders, sponsors, and center directors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-method study JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=10 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.999272 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.999272 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=Purpose

This study used multiple methods (interviews, survey) to assess experiences of stakeholders, sponsors, and center-based early care and education (ECE) program directors pertaining to child nutrition (e.g., provision of nutritious foods, mealtime practices, CACFP administration/use) and the provision of child-care (i.e., day-to-day ECE operations and programming) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Participants included stakeholders from 22 national and state agencies associated with the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) who also work to promote nutrition and quality child-care, representatives of 17 CACFP sponsor organizations, and 40 center-based ECE program directors who participated in interviews, as well as 100 ECE directors who completed surveys. Data were collected across four states. Thematic analyses of interviews and descriptive methods were used to analyze data collected.

Results

Six main themes emerged from stakeholders, sponsors, and ECE program directors' focusing on: experiences during the temporary closure of several ECE programs; additional responsibilities and unanticipated expenses for ECE programs; difficulty in keeping up with constantly changing COVID-19 guidance; encounters during shifts from in-person to virtual training and monitoring; changes to nutrition practices at ECE; and the need to prioritize ECE funding.

Conclusions

Findings highlight challenges and supports to ECE programs and could inform future efforts to enhance child-care quality and child nutrition in the U.S. during pandemic situations.