Implementation of Federal Waivers for Feeding Children in Early Care and Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dev, Dipti A.; Hillburn, Carly; Luxa, Jordan; Lessard, Laura; Bauer, Katherine W.; Cotwright, Caree; Tovar, Alison

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2022.07.005

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…30 While the waivers helped to counter food insecurity concerns, they may have had unintended consequences for the integrity of the meals that were provided. 31 Illinois was one state that elected to utilize this waiver. 32 The present study found that CACFP-participating programs became less likely to meet nutritional BPs over time, while there was limited change in non-CACFP-participating programs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The meal pattern flexibility waiver allowed for providers to be reimbursed for meals and snacks that may not meet the meal pattern requirements 30. While the waivers helped to counter food insecurity concerns, they may have had unintended consequences for the integrity of the meals that were provided 31. Illinois was one state that elected to utilize this waiver 32.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Change in Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in Early Childcare and Education Settings in Illinois During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Schermbeck,

Lin,

Leider

et al. 2024

Journal of Public Health Management &Amp; Practice

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Context: For many young children, early childcare and education (ECE) programs are the only source of nutritious meals and physical activity (PA); however, the COVID-19 pandemic led to program closures, restrictions, and changed practices. Objective: To examine changes in nutrition and PA-related best practices in ECE settings in Illinois from 2019, just prior to the pandemic, as compared to 2022. We also examined how changes over time varied by program type (ie, centers vs homes), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) status, and/or Head Start/Early Head Start status. Design: The study design is a repeated cross-sectional survey administered in December 2019 and October 2022. Setting: State of Illinois. Participants: A total of 888 and 1162 ECE providers completed initial and follow-up surveys, respectively. Intervention: NA Main Outcome Measure: Provider report of meeting 14 nutrition and 9 PA-related best practices. Results: Overall, 9 nutrition-related best practices were maintained and 5 declined over time. Centers, CACFP, and Head Start providers reported significant declines in meeting nutrition-related practices over time. A total of 8 PA-related best practices were maintained and 1 declined over time. Centers reported a significant decline in 5 of the PA-related best practices over time, and these declines were significantly different than in homes over time. Similarly, Head Start programs reported a decline in 4 PA-related best practices over time, and the change was significantly different from non-Head Start programs in 3 of the 4 practices. Conclusion: The findings of this study should be considered a new baseline for ECE nutrition and PA-related best practices in Illinois and should serve as a wake-up call for advocates nationwide with regard to the provision of nutrition and PA-related best practices in centers and by CACFP and Head Start providers postpandemic.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change in Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in Early Childcare and Education Settings in Illinois During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Schermbeck,

Lin,

Leider

et al. 2024

Journal of Public Health Management &Amp; Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While some recommended making aspects of the waivers permanent, others cited the need to discontinue the waivers as a way to signify a return to normalcy. The waivers helped to ensure that children at-risk for food insecurity would receive nutritious meals daily, even if their ECE programs were closed ( 7 , 8 , 29 ). Reinforcing benefits of the waivers, Stephens et al ( 6 ) found that compared to non-CACFP programs, ECE programs in CACFP were more likely to offer approaches, such as home meal delivery, grab and go meals, and distribution of food boxes to connect children/families with healthy foods during the pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reinforcing benefits of the waivers, Stephens et al ( 6 ) found that compared to non-CACFP programs, ECE programs in CACFP were more likely to offer approaches, such as home meal delivery, grab and go meals, and distribution of food boxes to connect children/families with healthy foods during the pandemic. However, use of the waivers by ECE programs were not without challenges, including the availability of limited ECE staff to assist with meal preparation/distribution, difficulty in verifying child participation in CACFP during parental pick-up of meals, and the challenges of ECE programs with adapting to technology for virtual compliance monitoring ( 29 ). While the waivers have been extended through June 30, 2023 for home-based ECE programs, individual states have to put in formal requests to USDA if they want similar extensions ( 30 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Erinosho

Jana²,

Loefstedt³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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PurposeThis 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.MethodsParticipants 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.ResultsSix 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.ConclusionsFindings 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.

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Illuminating Child and Adult Care Food Program Partnerships That Improved Food Access and Waiver Utilization for Feeding Young Children in Early Care and Education Programs During COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

Dev,

Hillburn,

Luxa

et al. 2024

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

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Implementation of Federal Waivers for Feeding Children in Early Care and Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 4 publications

References 13 publications

Change in Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in Early Childcare and Education Settings in Illinois During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Change in Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in Early Childcare and Education Settings in Illinois During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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

Illuminating Child and Adult Care Food Program Partnerships That Improved Food Access and Waiver Utilization for Feeding Young Children in Early Care and Education Programs During COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

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