Staff Workshop Improves Child Care Center Menus in South Central Texas: A Best Food for Families, Infants, and Toddlers (Best Food FITS) Intervention

Abstract Objective To assess the efficacy of an educational workshop for child care center staff to improve menus. Methods Staff from 18 centers attended a nutrition educational workshop that included an activity that compared center menus to MyPlate standards. Four weeks of menus collected before and after the workshop were imported into SuperTracker; the Food Details report produced menu data clustered by day and center. Changes in pre-post menus were assessed using Healthy Eating Index scores and the SAS software macro, MIXCORR. Results After the workshop, there was a lower probability that fruit juice ( P  = .03) and starchy vegetables ( P  = .004) and a higher probability that non-starchy vegetables ( P P  = .004) were on menus; amounts of refined grains ( P  = .004), savory snacks ( P P  = .004) were significantly lower. Total Healthy Eating Index scores improved after the workshop ( P  = .009). Conclusions and Implications Comparing 4 weeks of menus revealed menu changes. Workshop interventions show promise for improving children's health.