Release NO. 0380.97 Fact Sheet U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE - SUPPORTING CHILD CARE ACROSS AMERICA In support of better child care for America, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides: food assistance programs through Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services; child care facilities through Rural Development; and research and education through Research, Education, and Economics. These programs work together, and in collaboration with other federal agencies and the private sector, to strengthen and expand affordable, accessible and quality care for all children when they are away from their family setting. FOOD, NUTRITION AND CONSUMER SERVICES Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services provides access to nutritious, healthful diets for all Americans. Through food assistance and consumer education, FNCS encourages consumers to make healthful food choices. USDA's Food and Consumer Service administers 15 food assistance programs with a total budget of over $40 billion. These programs serve to alleviate hunger and to safeguard the health and well-being of the nation. USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion is the USDA focal point for linking scientific research to consumer education to improve the nutritional status of Americans. The Child and Adult Care Food Program and Child Care FCS supports high-quality child care for American children through the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Each day, 2.5 million children in almost a quarter of a million licensed and approved child care centers and family day care homes receive nutritious meals reimbursed by this program. These meals meet established nutrition standards and help to ensure that infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers and children in before- and after-school care are ready to learn and are establishing good eating habits which will last into adulthood. The CACFP provides reimbursement for meals served to children through age 12 in three types of licensed or approved child care facilities: Child Care Centers include non-residential, public or private nonprofit facilities such as Head Start centers. Child care centers may participate in the CACFP directly or under the auspices of a sponsoring organization. For-profit centers may also participate if they meet certain criteria for serving low-income children. Family Day Care Homes usually serve small numbers of children in private homes. To participate in the CACFP, family day care homes must be sponsored by a public or private nonprofit organization. Individual homes are not required to be nonprofit. School-Age Child Care Centers are public or private nonprofit programs such as those operated by schools and other organizations before- or after-school or at other times when school is not in session. These centers may participate in the CACFP directly or under the auspices of a sponsoring organization and may be "for-profit" if they meet certain criteria for serving low-income children. CACFP goes far beyond nutrition dimensions to help insure high-quality care in safe and healthy environments. For example: Child care programs must be licensed to participate in CACFP. The Families and Work Institute and the General Accounting Office have both cited the CACFP as an important component of quality child care, especially in family day care homes which, in most cases, do not seek formal licensing until they have decided to participate in CACFP. Furthermore, food program reimbursements help to make child care more affordable in participating facilities, allowing them to devote a smaller portion of their scarce resources to food-related expenses. The Food Research and Action Center has cited the CACFP as an important "building block" in community organizations' attempts to provide safe, supervised school-age child care. Providing children with nutritious meals and educational or recreational opportunities helps to involve them in constructive after-school activities. For information on how a center or home can apply to participate in the CACFP call the Child Care and Summer Programs Section, Child Nutrition Division, phone: (703) 305-2590: fax: (703) 305-2879. Web Site: http://www.usda.gov/fcs The National Food Service Management Institute: In Support of CACFP The National Food Service Management Institute, located at the University of Mississippi, recognizes the value of the CACFP and supports its goals by providing training and nutrition education materials for the program. These materials include a quarterly fact sheet for caregivers, a 7-week cycle menu, and a compilation of nutrition education and training materials for child care. The Institute is currently developing additional materials for use in CACFP, including a nutrition education curriculum for 3-5 year olds and training manuals for program providers. For more information: Dr. Jane Logan, Executive Director; phone: (601) 232-7658; fax: (601) 232-5615. World Wide Web Site: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/nfsmi The Nutrition Education and Training Program: In Support of CACFP The Nutrition Education and Training Program supports the development of lifelong healthy eating habits for American children through the Child and Adult Care Food Program. State NET funds are used to provide nutrition education resources and training to providers and parents in child care centers, family day care homes and school-age child centers. Through cooperative work with organizations such as Head Start, National Dairy Council, National Food Service Management Institute and American Academy of Pediatrics, NET conducts training on nutrition education, food safety and sanitation and food preparation for child care providers. For more information on NET resources and State NET Coordinators contact: Nutrition and Technical Services Division, FCS, phone: (703) 305-2554; fax: (703) 305-2549. The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion USDA's CNPP annually publishes "Expenditures on Children by Families." This report, ongoing since 1960, examines expenditures on children by age, family income level, and region of the country. Expenditures are examined by budgetary component, such as housing, food, clothing, etc. One of the major expenditures on young children, below age 6, is child care. For middle-income families, child care is the second largest expense on pre-school children, surpassed only by housing. The report is used by many States in determining child support guidelines and foster care payments. For more information: Dr. Mark Line, Economist, CNPP-FCS, USDA, phone: 202-606-4837, e-mail: mark.lino@usda.gov Food Guide Pyramid for Children - CNPP is developing a Food Guide Pyramid for young children ages 2 to 6 years, and food-guide-based nutrition messages and materials for children, parents, and providers. Through this project, CNPP seeks to help improve the diets of young children by adapting and translating dietary guidance into dietary practice. Data on the nutritional quality of child care meals and snacks from the Early Childhood and Child Care Study conducted by FCS will serve as one component of the technical input for the project. An interagency working group composed of staff with expertise in the diet of young children will be convened to provide technical assistance and review materials for the project. For more information: Bill Layden, Nutrition Promotion Staff Director, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, phone: 202/606-4947. RURAL DEVELOPMENT Rural Housing Service: Community Facilities Programs USDA's Community Facilities Program under the Rural Housing Service makes direct and guarantee loans and grants available--to rural areas and towns with populations up to 50,000--to develop essential community facilities such as adult and child care centers. Loan funds can be used to construct, enlarge, or improve community facilities for health care, public safety, and public services. This can include costs to acquire land needed for a facility, pay construction costs and necessary professional fees and purchase equipment required for its operation. Child Care Initiative for Rural America Beginning in fiscal year 1996, a high priority was placed on funding child care services in rural areas. Initially, 11 projects were funded for a total of $7,769,320. During fiscal year 1997, through outreach efforts of states, 42 loans and/or grants funded 31 projects nationwide. The State of Iowa has made significant funding contributions for child care projects and coordinated the publication: "Child Care Options for Employers: Child Care That Works." The guide helps employers assess employees' needs for child care services and explains options for providing services. The guide, which is widely distributed, can be a model for other states. USDA's Rural Housing Service, in partnership with private and public entities, has significantly expanded resources. In September 1997, the partnership of Rural Housing Service, Federal Housing Finance Board, Head Start, and the Local Initiative Support Corporation, selected five projects for a child care demonstration initiative. Rural Housing Service provided loans of over $1 million -- $762,000 in Community Facility direct loans and $287,750 in Community Facility guarantees. The Federal Home Loan Bank System members will lend money for most of the Community Facility guarantees. Health and Human Services, Head Start, will provide equity grants and LISC will make available loans for up-front development starts and will provide technical assistance. In addition, Freddie Mac will leverage the partnership's funds by $1.1 million. The Child Care initiative will continue in FY98 and expand to other states. Projects selected for the Child Care Initiative are: CAP Servicing, Inc. of Plainfield, WI Crowley's Ridge Development, Inc. of Marked Tree, AR Garrett County CAC, Inc. of Oakland, MD Red Cliff Bank of Lake Superior Chippewa of Bayfield, WI Northeast Kansas Community Action Program, Inc. of Holton, KS: For More Information: Jan Shadburn, Administrator for Rural Housing Services, phone: (202) 690-1727; Eileen Fitzgerald, Associate Administrator for Rural Housing Services, phone: (202) 690-1533; John Bowles, Deputy Administrator for Community Programs, phone: (202) 720-1490 RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND ECONOMICS USDA's Research, Education, and Economics provides research and education to local communities through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service and nutrition research from the Agricultural Research Service. Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service is the chief scientific wing of the USDA. It has three research facilities dedicated to the study of children's nutritional health. Pediatric nutrition research has shown that children, far from being miniature adults, have special dietary needs. New studies and findings will help parents, teachers, and child care providers supply children with foods to stimulate learning minds and growing bodies. The Arkansas Children's Nutrition Research Center: Ongoing scientific research at this center will look at many aspects of health and nutrition for young people. A key focus is how diet contributes to intellectual development and brain function. The knowledge gained will be used to help parents, child care providers, and teachers provide nutrition for high-powered learning. Preventing childhood obesity and studying whether the right diet in childhood can prevent many adult health problems is another focus of research for this center. Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine: USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, operated by the Baylor College of Medicine is located on the Texas Medical Center campus in Houston. With a team of nutritionists, pediatricians and physiologists, this center is dedicated to investigating the nutrient needs of healthy children, from conception through adolescence, and the special dietary needs of pregnant and nursing women. One area of focus is the relationship between genetic heritage, growth and health needs. A working agreement between the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service and the Agricultural Research Service brings a closer link between research and education in child and maternal health by translating research findings into educational training and programs. Access to this research-based information is available through a quarterly electronic newsletter entitled MCH LINKS which is transmitted nationally and internationally. For More Information: Karen Konzelmann, National Program Leader, Maternal and Child Health, CSREES Families, 4-H, and Nutrition; phone: 713-798-7070; e-mail: karenk@bcm.tcm.edu Web Site: http://www.bcm.tmc.edu/cnrc/ Lower Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative: Volumes of research show a good breakfast is essential to learning. The child who can learn usually wants to stay in school. A good diet also means a child is healthy, feels good and is able to relate to peers. The benefits of making sure all children come to school well-fed and able to concentrate extend well beyond the classroom. Reductions in school drop-out rates and youth crime, for example, could be achieved, in part, through better childhood nutrition. But for many children -- especially in poor communities -- nutrition may not be optimal. Nutrition scientists and medical researchers in the southeast are forming an outreach alliance with Delta communities. One goal of this partnership is to actively involve the people who live in, work in, and know the Delta area in identifying and implementing the research into nutrition, health, and related behaviors. As a result, an intended outcome is that from birth to early adulthood, parents will provide their children a diet that, through a ripple effect, improves not only their lives, but enhances the life of the entire community. Selected Web Sites for Children's Nutrition: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services "Bright Futures," http://www.os.dhhs.gov/hrsa/mchb/ Healthy Child Newsletter: http://www.healthychild.com/ For More Information regarding ARS research programs: Dr. Carla R. Fjeld, National Program Leader, ARS; phone: 301-504-6216; fax: 301-504-6231; crf@ars.usda.gov Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service integrates research, higher education programs and community-based extension education programs to address child care and nutrition issues across the country. Research and education faculty from the Nation's 103 land-grant universities are located on university campuses and in each of the 3,150 counties across America. This system has the ability to reach almost every community in the country with research-based information, education programs, and public policy education that spans family-based, center-based, school-age, and after-school child care. CES Provides Community Based Education on Child Care and Nutrition Child Care--The Cooperative Extension System offers to states and local communities an extensive network of university faculty and staff who are academically trained, experienced in practice, and grounded in research in child development and child care. With more than 80 years of experience, the CES has the expertise to cover a broad spectrum of infant and toddler, school age, family based and center based programs. The CES--with professional staff that serves every county in America--significantly impacts child care at community levels. In order to bring heightened awareness of the child care issues in this country, the CES established a National Network for Child Care. This group of university faculty, supported by an extensive electronic infrastructure, provides national leadership to the CES efforts in child care, provides technical assistance and training, and makes thousands of resources available through a web site and electronic discussion group. Working in partnership with the public and private sector, the NNCC makes a difference to hundreds of thousands of children, child care providers, parents, employers, communities, and policy-makers each year. NNCC builds better child care for America by: Maintaining a multi-lingual electronic database of hundreds of professionally reviewed documents on subjects ranging from child care management practices to age-appropriate curriculum. Assisting with evaluation of programs; training providers; publishing quarterly newsletters for providers with a distribution of over 10,000. Facilitating satellite conferences with educational wrap-around sessions, including the White House Conference on Child Care; assisting decision makers in the development of policies and guidelines. Educating parents on the elements of quality programs. Operating after-school programs for the U.S. Army at 150 military installations and trains military staff world-wide Sponsors electronic discussion group "KIDCARE," an open forum for exchanging information. Web Sites: http://www.nncc.org or http://www.cyfernet.org For More Information: Dr. Nancy Valentine, National Program Leader, Families, 4-H and Nutrition, CSREES, USDA; phone: 202-720-2908; fax: 202-690-2469; e-mail: nvalentine@reeusda.gov Nutrition--The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program of the CES helps limited resource youth and families with young children improve their nutritional well-being, make better use of their food dollar, and handle food safely. Through EFNEP, people acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and changed behavior necessary for nutritionally sound diets, personal development, and improvement of the total family diet and nutritional well-being. Lessons teach skills to improve the nutritional quality of meals, safely prepare and store food, and better manage food budgets and resources such as food stamps. The delivery of EFNEP youth programs takes on various forms. EFNEP provides education: in after school child care programs, at schools as an enrichment of the curriculum, and through 4-H EFNEP clubs, day camps, residential camps, community centers, and neighborhood groups. In addition to nutrition topics, youth may also learn about fitness, avoidance of substance abuse, and other health related issues. For more information: Wells Willis, National Program Leader, Families, 4-H and Nutrition, CSREES, USDA; phone: 202-720-8855; e-mail wwillis@reeusda.gov. Research Provides the Basis for Program and Policy Development CSREES supports basic and applied research that addresses child care issues. This research -- carried out primarily in land-grant universities across the country -- encompasses the physical, mental and social development of the child including the interrelated, complex interactions that occur between the child as part of the family, and the family as part of the community and society. Each of these entities can be influenced by multiple factors -- food, economic, environmental, technological, social, etc. This research increases understanding of these relationships so the needs of the child and family, including those for child care, can be met. The research provides communities with information that can help them develop the appropriate educational programs and provide non-biased information to public policy makers. For More Information: Dr. Anne Mae Kobbe, National Program Leader, Families, 4-H and Nutrition, CSREES, USDA; phone: 202-720-2920, fax: 202-690-2469; e-mail: akobbe@reeusda.gov Web Site: Abstracts and information on thousands of research projects are available through the Current Research Information System, http://cristel.nal.usda.gov:8080/ # NOTE: USDA news releases and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the USDA Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.usda.gov October 1997