Vplivi na obisk gozda v splošnih in gozdnih vrtcih

Preschool children spend a large part of their everyday life in kindergartens, so it is necessary to include visits to the forest, which is the most extensive natural environment in Slovenia, in preschool childcare programs. Based on surveys with preschool teachers of public kindergartens in Slovenia (N = 133), we analysed the habits, purposes, barriers and concerns associated with visiting the forest. The frequency and duration of forest visits largely depend on the distance of the forest from the kindergarten. The habits of forest visits among forest kindergartens which are included in the Network of Forest Kindergartens organized by the Institute of Forest Pedagogy do not differ significantly from that of general public kindergartens. They differ mainly with respect to the frequency of visitation in bad weather and the purpose of visitation. The main concerns when visiting the forest are ticks, fear of injury, and the children having inappropriate equipment. The reasons for less frequent forest visitation include different pedagogical priorities of the kindergartens and lack of support from the management and parents, which highlight the need for the strategic promotion and implementation of forest visitation in preschool education.

Participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program Influences Nutrition-Related Practices of Child Care Settings in Nebraska (P04-172-19)

Objectives Federal food assistance programs such as the Child and Adult Care Food program (CACFP) are designed to promote healthy dietary habits for young children; the present study will aim to determine how CACFP participation influences implementation of nutrition-related best practices and barriers in childcare settings. Methods Cross-sectional surveys were distributed to 3014 licensed childcare facilities in Nebraska in 2017 to collect provider-reported information on facility demographics, CACFP participation, and practices implemented in childcare settings serving children aged 2–5 years. Chi-square analysis was performed in SPSS to determine differences in best practice implementation, barriers, and difficulty level between those who do versus do not participate in the CACFP, stratified by childcare context (center-based versus family childcare home-based). Results The sample included 1345 childcare programs (54.6% response rate); 86.8% participated in the CACFP, 21.7% were center-based, and 78.3% were home-based. Childcare programs who participated in the CACFP were more likely to serve foods and beverages according to best practices across both contexts; practices included serving fruit at least one time, serving vegetables at least one time, and serving skim or 1% milk (P < 0.05 for all). In family childcare homes only, those who participated in the CACFP were more likely to role model eating healthy foods and serve meals family style (P < 0.05 for both). Across both contexts, those who participated in the CACFP were more likely to receive professional development on child nutrition (P < 0.01). Conclusions While participation in the CACFP was related to higher prevalence of serving healthier food and beverages, few mealtime practices were affected. This could be attributed to CACFP regulations requiring participating childcare programs to serve nutritious food and beverages to children, but only recommend mealtime-related best practices. These findings could suggest that CACFP-related trainings should emphasize the importance of these practices with consideration of known provider-reported barriers. Funding Sources This work was supported by the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station.