scholarly journals The Impact of a Workplace Wellness Program on Provider Health in Early Childhood Education Settings

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie N. Powers ◽  
Charlotte V. Farewell ◽  
Emily Maiurro ◽  
Jini Puma
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Workplace Wellness ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Childhood Education

Background: Early childhood education (ECE) working environments often contribute to poor health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to describe healthy eating–related and physical activity–related awareness and adoption of behavior change of ECE providers after participating in a workplace wellness (WW) program and to explore facilitators and barriers to ECE provider participation in WW program. Methods: The WW program offered healthy eating and physical activity challenges to promote ECE provider health and well-being. Approximately 1,000 ECE providers in Colorado from 35 ECE settings were invited to participate. After the intervention, ECE providers completed two surveys: (a) a provider postsurvey and (b) a WW challenge survey. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to examine factors associated with percent agreement that participation in the WW program increased awareness and adoption of health behaviors. Findings: A total of 250 (25%) ECE providers participated in WW program from 2015 to 2017. After participation, approximately 84% of respondents agreed they were more aware of the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and of being physically active, while 81% reported eating more fruits and vegetables, and 80% reported being more physically active in the workplace. Logistic regression models found that the length of time teaching in ECE settings was positively and significantly associated (odds ratio [OR] = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.00, 1.21]) with the odds of providers agreeing that participation in the WW program increased their awareness of health behaviors. Conclusion/Application to Practice: The design and implementation of WW programs that emphasize facilitators, such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, as well as reduce barriers, such as time constraints and unachievable goal setting, may increase the awareness and adoptions of healthy eating–related and physical activity–related behaviors among ECE work settings.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Eating Environments and Activity in Early Childhood Education and Care in Alberta, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 4247
Author(s):  
Lynne M. Z. Lafave ◽  
Alexis D. Webster ◽  
Ceilidh McConnell ◽  
Nadine Van Wyk ◽  
Mark R. Lafave
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
The Impact

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) environments influence children’s early development and habits that track across a lifespan. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of COVID-19 government-mandated guidelines on physical activity (PA) and eating environments in ECEC settings. This cross-sectional study involved the recruitment of 19 ECEC centers pre-COVID (2019) and 15 ECEC centers during COVID (2020) in Alberta, Canada (n = 34 ECEC centers; n = 83 educators; n = 361 preschoolers). Educators completed the CHEERS (Creating Healthy Eating and activity Environments Survey) and MEQ (Mindful Eating Questionnaire) self-audit tools while GT3X+ ActiGraph accelerometers measured preschooler PA. The CHEERS healthy eating environment subscale was greater during COVID-19 (5.97 ± 0.52; 5.80 ± 0.62; p = 0.02) and the overall score positively correlated with the MEQ score (r = 0.20; p = 0.002). Preschoolers exhibited greater hourly step counts (800 ± 189; 649 ± 185), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (9.3 ± 3.0 min/h; 7.9 ± 3.2 min/h) and lower sedentary times (42.4 ± 3.9 min/h; 44.1 ± 4.9 min/h) during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID, respectively (p < 0.05). These findings suggest the eating environment and indices of child physical activity were better in 2020, which could possibly be attributed to a change in government-mandated COVID-19 guideline policy.

scholarly journals Children’s Rough-and-Tumble Play in a Supportive Early Childhood Education and Care Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 10469
Author(s):  
Rune Storli
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Care Environment ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Supportive Environment ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor Environments

While a growing body of evidence highlights the benefits of rough-and-tumble play (R&T) in young children, it remains one of the most challenging kinds of play to support in early childhood education and care environment (ECEC) institutions. The present study explores the occurrence and characteristics of R&T in indoor and outdoor environments in a Norwegian sociocultural context where children can freely choose what, where, and with whom to play. The data consist of 100 randomly recorded two-minute videos, which were coded second by second for R&T. Qualitative analysis reveals that in a physically and culturally supportive environment for R&T, children aged 3–5 years perceive indoor spaces that afford physically active play to be more attractive for R&T than outdoor environments. The findings indicate gender differences related to R&T and how girls and boys use the physical environment in different ways. The quantitative findings are discussed within interactional affordances theory and show that children practise perceptual, motor, and social skills to successfully engage in R&T. Enhanced knowledge of children’s skill acquisition in R&T can support practitioners in developing pedagogical skills to facilitate challenging and safe environments for appropriate indoor R&T for both girls and boys.

Didactic Proposal for Physical Education for Three-Year Olds in Early Childhood Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 262-279
Author(s):  
Carmen Delgado Ruiz ◽  
Elena Portero Ponce ◽  
Elena González Vela ◽  
María Muñoz Álvarez
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Performing Arts ◽  
Autonomous Community ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
La Mancha ◽  
Different Types

Throughout this chapter the authors are going to present a didactic proposal, called “Lights, Camera, and Action” that is arranged to be carried out with three-year-old boys and girls and consists of five sessions, which will be spread over 15 days, and physical activity will be performed twice a week. In this proposal, topics like the typical in the performing arts such as circus, theater, dance, and music are explored. In this playful and motivating way, physical activity will be promoted, through our own content such as jumps, turns, and different types of balance. The didactic proposal contains objectives, competences, and contents, regulated by the Curriculum Decree 67/2007 establishing Early Childhood Education in the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain).

Shade coverage, ultraviolet radiation and children’s physical activity in early childhood education and care

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1325-1333
Author(s):  
Hayley Christian ◽  
Leanne Lester ◽  
Stewart G. Trost ◽  
Georgina Trapp ◽  
Jasper Schipperijn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Ultraviolet Radiation ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Children’S Physical Activity
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