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.