Early years food and nutrition survey

Introduction

We want to hear from a range of Early Years and Childcare providers on their experiences and practices in relation to food and nutrition provision to understand and support settings to encourage healthy eating practices and extend this knowledge to parents and carers.

We will use this information to identify potential opportunities to support the healthy food offer, capture best practice and consistent messages on healthy eating.

More information

Oxfordshire County Council's Public Health and Early Years team want to explore how Early Years (EY) and Childcare providers can be best supported to encourage healthy eating practices within their settings and extend this knowledge to parents and carers.

Giving children the best possible start to life through good nutrition and healthy eating helps their physical growth and brain development. Lack of sufficient nutrition during critical periods in early life may cause irreversible changes to development and therefore increase of chronic disease later in life for example diabetes.[1] Children’s earliest experiences of food can shape lifelong habits and establish their long-term relationship with food. EY and Childcare settings have an important role in supporting children and their parents/carers establish positive eating habits.[2]

A recent Oxfordshire Health Needs Assessment for promoting a healthy weight includes a recommendation to work with EY providers to assess the current food provision and understand facilitators and barriers to meeting national recommendations.

We want to work with a range of EY and Childcare providers to hear experiences and practices to understand the level of knowledge, skills and capacity with relation to nutritionally balanced food provision. This will support a better understanding of the potential opportunities available to support the healthy food offer, capture best practice and consistent messages on healthy eating.