Seeking comments on proposed changes to meals served in child and adult day care

Kurt Messner
Posted 3/3/15

For many working families, dropping their children off at daycare is a daily ritual. Daycare provides wonderful opportunities for education and social interaction, preparing children for …

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Seeking comments on proposed changes to meals served in child and adult day care

Posted

For many working families, dropping their children off at daycare is a daily ritual. Daycare provides wonderful opportunities for education and social interaction, preparing children for kindergarten.

On the other end of the spectrum, caregivers rely on adult care centers to provide social and health services to loved ones during the day.

These centers play a vital role in the health and well being of our most vulnerable population. One of the nation’s federal nutrition programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), subsidizes meals served at enrolled centers. Not only does the program ensure nutritious meals are served, but it enables providers to sustain their businesses and provide affordable care to low-income families.

And now, for the first time since the program began in 1968, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is updating the nutrition standards for meals served. You have an opportunity to weigh in on the changes; it’s government operating as it’s meant to; not only for the people but by the people.

USDA is seeking the public’s comments on proposed changes to meals and snacks served in CACFP. Under the proposed rule, meals served to children and adults in day care will include a greater variety of vegetables and fruits, more whole grains, and less sugar and fat.

Since the inception of CACFP, nutrition related health problems have greatly shifted from malnutrition to the over consumption of calories, saturated fat, added fats, added sugar and sodium as well as the under consumption of fiber and other essential nutrients.

Research indicates that obesity rates of preschoolers have more than doubled over the last four decades and one in five children will be overweight or obese by the time they turn six.

Each day, CACFP provides meals and snacks to children in their regular day care, children residing in emergency shelters, youth participating in afterschool programs, and participants in adult day care programs. In Rhode Island, 455 child care centers and homes and 16 adult day care centers participate in the CACFP, serving meals to 9,045 children and 726 adults.

The proposed changes will help safeguard the health of children early in their lives and improve the wellness of adults. Child care providers, in particular, have a powerful opportunity to instill healthy habits in young children that may serve as a foundation for healthy choices in life. Providing access to nutritious meals is one of USDA’s top priorities.

Mandated by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the proposed meal pattern updates are designed to work in concert with USDA’s school meals standards, now implemented in schools across the country.

We want to hear from you. USDA is seeking input on the proposed rule from the public. This is an important opportunity for providers and families using the centers to participate in the federal rulemaking process. A web-based portal makes it easy for all citizens to provide comments.

Visit https://federalregister.gov/a/2015-00446 to review the proposal and offer comments. All comments received will be considered carefully in finalizing the rule before it is implemented.

To be assured of consideration, comments must be received on or before April 15, 2015.

Kurt Messner is the acting regional administrator of USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

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