Sylvia H. Byrd

Evaluation of Menus Planned in Mississippi Child-Care Centers Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

OBJECTIVES To collect information from licensed child-care centers in Mississippi on their foodservice operations relative to participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA); to collect information on who planned the menus; and to evaluate the energy and nutrient content of the planned menus relative to the suggested goal of one third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and the recommendations made in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. DESIGN Survey questionnaire. SETTING Licensed child-care centers in Mississippi. SAMPLES Ninety-two licensed child-care centers provided cycle menus for analysis. One hundred eighteen centers returned the questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Content of the menus relative to the meal-pattern guidelines established for the Child and Adult Care Food Program; the energy and nutrient content of the menus relative to the RDAs and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED One-way analysis of variance and frequencies. RESULTS Seventy-five percent of the centers reported participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. All but one of the centers planned menus that met the meal-pattern requirements established by the program, licensure, and Head Start Performance Standards. Results showed that following the established meal-pattern guidelines for the child nutrition programs may not guarantee consistent nutritional quality of planned menus in child-care centers. The mean amounts of energy and many nutrients were significantly lower (P < .05) for centers that reported participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Mean fat levels for all centers exceeded the recommendation of no more than 30% of total energy from fat: 40.8% of total energy from fat was reported by centers that participated in the program and 38% by those that said they did not. APPLICATIONS Additional guidance is needed for menu planning in child-care centers to ensure compliance with the nutritional goal of meeting one third of the RDAs and Dietary Guidelines for Americans.