Food Service in Long Day Care Centres--an Opportunity for Public Health Intervention

Objective: To determine the characteristics of long day care centre operations, food service management practices, and nutrition resources use and needs.

Method: In October 1996, all 330 long day care centres in Western Australia were surveyed by telephone to gather information to help develop strategies for food service improvement.

Results: The response rate was 85%. An accreditation committee directed operations in 76% of centres. Most centres employed a cook with limited or no cooking training. Coordinators identified training needs for cooks that are specific to the National Childcare Accreditation Council's Quality Improvement and Accreditation System (QIAS) guidelines: food hygiene; nutritional and food requirements of children; menu planning; and multicultural cooking.

Conclusions: National standards for the quantification of foods to meet children's nutritional requirements in long day care would allow for consistency in educating child care workers, training cooks, and establishing and assessing government regulations and the QIAS guidelines. Nine recommendations for strategies to improve food service in long day care are presented.

Implications: There are two main messages for public health practitioners working to improve the quality of food served to children in long day care: the strong influence of the QIAS guidelines, and the need for specific nutrition recommendations.