Free Summer Childcare to Help Preschoolers From Low-income Families Avoid Unhealthy Weight Gain

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for preschool children aged 3 to 5 who attend a needs-based pre-K program run by the partner organizations. It tests free summer childcare to limit weight gain.

Age

3 to 5 years

Sex

All children can join.

The registry criteria, word for word

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

• Are you between 3 and 5 years old?YesNo

What the trial wants to find out

Studies show that preschool-age children are especially vulnerable to accelerated weight gain during the summer, with those from low-income households (≤185% poverty level or Medicaid eligible - the target population for this study) exhibiting the greatest risk of unhealthy weight gain. Despite numerous interventions designed to prevent OWOB, none target preschoolers during summer. For families from low-income households, attending center-based childcare is associated with a lower risk of developing OWOB by 1st grade compared to attending home-based care. Center-based childcare lowers the risk of OWOB through daily rules/routines that promote healthy behaviors. For families from low-income households, publicly funded center-based childcares (e.g., needs-based pre-K, Head Start) typically operate on an academic/school 9-month calendar (Aug-May). During summer, fewer than 30% of preschoolers attend center-based childcare. For many preschoolers from lower-income households, summer may serve as an extended period away from formal center-based childcare, because the out-of-pocket expense may prohibit attendance. This may promote unhealthy behaviors and excessive weight gain. In the majority of US states, publicly funded center-based childcare during the academic/school year for families from underserved populations is free; however, center-based childcare during the summer is an out-of-pocket expense for many of these families. Despite parents' desire for childcare during the summer, a major reason children from low-income households do not attend center-based care during summer is cost. This creates unequal access to resources and likely exacerbates health disparities for families from low-income households. Using a structural intervention approach, this study will test the impact of providing free center-based childcare in the summer. This R01 will rigorously test the impact of providing free center-based childcare during the summer on weight status of preschoolers from low-income households (≤185% of poverty level or Medicaid eligible).

The 2 groups in the trial

• InterventionTreatment being tested

  Children randomly assigned to receive free center-based childcare during the summer will be provided 8 to 10 weeks (depending on the length of summer - which can vary due to school-year closures and make-up days) of access to a school-operated, needs-based center-based childcare during the summer.

  Treatment: Childcare

• ControlNo study treatment, for comparison

  The control group will not receive free access to attend the center-based childcare during the summer.