Childcare centers and homes aim to create a healthy environment, but holistically assessing practices and identifying what to improve is often challenging. A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior highlights the reliability and validity of the Site-Level Assessment Questionnaire, or SLAQ, designed to help early care and education, or ECE, sites self-assess their nutrition and physical activity practices. The study found that 88% of SLAQ items had moderate or higher reliability, and 52% had moderate or higher validity, supporting its utility in evaluating health-promoting practices in childcare settings. Study results also helped to pinpoint which questions and response options needed to be refined for even greater measurement accuracy – the current version of the SLAQ reflects these improvements.
The SLAQ provides a standardized, up-to-date way to measure best practices in areas such as meals, family involvement, physical activity, and wellness policies, allowing ECE sites to assess a breadth of health practices. This questionnaire enables ECE providers to conveniently collect information that can improve self-reflection and implementation of healthier practices for children. Overall, the SLAQ presents a practical tool that can support future efforts to improve nutrition and physical activity in ECE settings.
The study was co-authored by Christina M. Becker, Janice Kao, Sridharshi C. Hewawitharana, Carolyn D. Rider, Amanda Linares, Ron Strochlic, Miranda Westfall Brown and Gail Woodward-Lopez at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources and Nutrition Policy Institute.