Creating Healthier Places

KinderCare Learning Companies

2016 Progress Report

Year Committed: 2014

Length of Commitment: 3 years

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Design and implement programming, policies, and procedures to be used in daily operations so that KinderCare Education child care centers can ensure that all children are being provided the healthiest available food choices and the recommended amount of time dedicated to physical activity. This will include: eliminating sugar-sweetened beverages, increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables at every meal, eliminating fried foods, confirming that no time is being spent in front of televisions or video games and that computer use is limited to educational activity and ensuring children engage in at least 1-2 hours of physical activity daily.

Verified Results

Implementation Date
January 2016
Reporting Date
February 2017

Commitment Element
In at least 95% of centers, eat meals family-style when possible.
Progress To Date

Elements of family-style meals include ALL of the following: food placed in serving bowls on the table, self-serving, teachers sitting with children to eat, teachers consuming the same foods, instruction on appropriate table manners and teachers encouraging children to try new foods. 95 to 100 percent of centers were in compliance for all six categories.
Implementation Date
January 2016
Reporting Date
February 2017

Commitment Element
In at least 95% of centers, eliminate screen time for children under two years.
Progress To Date

99 percent of centers eliminated screen time for children under age 2.
Implementation Date
January 2016
Reporting Date
February 2017

Commitment Element
In at least 95% of centers, for children ages five and older, serve no more than one 6 ounce serving of 100% juice per day.
Progress To Date

Juice has been removed from the centralized menu and is no longer served in any KinderCare centers.
Implementation Date
January 2016
Reporting Date
February 2017

Commitment Element
In at least 95% of centers, for children ages two and older, serve low-fat (1%) or non-fat milk.
Progress To Date

95.5 percent of centers serve low-fat (1%) or non-fat milk. 1.4 percent of centers do not serve milk.
Implementation Date
January 2016
Reporting Date
February 2017

Commitment Element
In at least 95% of centers, for children ages two to four, no more than one 4 ounce serving of 100% juice per day.
Progress To Date

Juice has been removed from the centralized menu and is no longer served in any KinderCare centers.
Implementation Date
January 2016
Reporting Date
February 2017

Commitment Element
In at least 95% of centers, for mothers who want to continue breastfeeding, allow for the provision of mother’s milk for their children, and accommodate mothers who wish to breastfeed during the day.
Progress To Date

97 percent of centers have refrigerated storage for breast milk. 94 percent of centers allow for the provision of mother's milk for their children. 75 percent of centers have an area for private breastfeeding or expression of milk.
Implementation Date
January 2016
Reporting Date
February 2017

Commitment Element
In at least 95% of centers, have policies encouraging parents and caregivers to limit quality screen time for children outside the centers to no more than 1-2 hours per day.
Progress To Date

71 percent of centers have written policies (including parent handbooks) encouraging parents and caregivers to limit screen time for children.
Implementation Date
January 2016
Reporting Date
February 2017

Commitment Element
In at least 95% of centers, limit screen time to no more than one hour per day for children ages two and older.
Progress To Date

99 to 100 percent of centers have limited screen time to no more than one hour per day for ages 2, 3, 4, 5 and school-aged children.
Implementation Date
January 2016
Reporting Date
February 2017

Commitment Element
In at least 95% of centers, provide at least 1 hour of physical activity throughout the day (or 30 minutes for before or after school programs), including outside play when possible.
Progress To Date

84 to 89 percent of centers provide one hour of physical activity for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners. 65 percent and 91 percent of centers offer 30 minutes of physical activity for before and after school programs, respectively.
Implementation Date
January 2016
Reporting Date
February 2017

Commitment Element
In at least 95% of centers, serve fruits and/or vegetables at every meal or at a minimum of two eating occasions per day.
Progress To Date

95 percent of centers serve fruits and vegetables at every meal, snack or at least two minimum eating occasions per day.

Partner Statement

“KinderCare Education and its family of brands, KinderCare Learning Centers, KinderCare Education at Work, and Champions before-and-after school programs, is a proud partner of Partnership for a Healthier America. Our work with PHA is a testament to our commitment to providing a safe and healthy environment to all children in our care. As the nation’s largest private provider of early learning programs, we lead the industry in healthy choices for children and their families. By removing juice and fried foods from our menus and serving well-balanced meals and snacks family-style, introducing children to new flavors and textures, limiting screen time and encouraging physical activity, we’re able to instill healthy habits in more than 160,000 children in our centers and sites nationwide. We engage parents in meaningful conversations about nutrition and developing healthy habits, and highlight fresh, seasonal recipes and ideas for getting active on our KinderCare blog. Our curriculum empowers teachers to help children learn to make healthy choices when it comes to diet and exercise. PHA inspires us to continually improve upon our programs, policies, and procedures to better serve our children, spark a passion for lifelong learning, and develop healthy habits for life.”