Edible gardens in early childhood education settings in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: This paper aims to explore the presence and role of edible gardens in Aotearoa/New Zealand Early Childhood Education Services (ECES). METHODS: Participant ECES providers were identified from the Ministry of Education database of Early Childhood Education Services (March 2009). These include Education and Care and Casual Education and Care, Kindergarten, Home-based Education and Care services, Playcentres, Te Kohanga Reo. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was sent to the Principal or Head Teacher of the service. RESULTS: Of the 211 ECES that responded (55% response rate), 71% had edible gardens, incorporating vegetables, berry fruit, tree fruit, edible flowers and nut trees. Garden activities were linked with teaching across all strands of the New Zealand early childhood curriculum. In addition, 34% provided guidance on using garden produce and 30% linked the garden with messages on fruit and vegetable consumption. Most gardens were established recently (past 2 years) and relied on financial and non-financial support from parents, teachers and community organisations. Barriers included a lack of funding, space, time and staff support. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Study findings suggest that gardens are already being used as a versatile teaching tool in many ECES settings. Most gardens are new, with a need to support the sustainability and workforce development among teachers and parents in order to be able to maintain these resources for future generations. SO WHAT?: Given the inherent links between gardening and healthy food and exercise, there seem to be extensive opportunities for health promotion aligned with the edible garden movement.

La asistencia a la guardería aumenta no solo la morbilidad, sino también el uso de recursos sanitarios / Daycare attendance not only increases morbidity, also the use of healthcare resources

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Influencia de la asistencia a guarderías sobre la morbilidad en niños menores de 12 meses de edad / Influence of day care attendance on morbidity in children under 12 months of age

Introducción: la estructura actual de la sociedad española favorece la asistencia de los niños a guarderías infantiles a edades cada vez más tempranas. Esto es un factor de riesgo por sí solo para el padecimiento de infecciones del tracto respiratorio superior e inferior, otitis media aguda, infecciones gastrointestinales y otras infecciones. Objetivo: evaluar la influencia de la asistencia a la guardería sobre el riesgo de padecer infecciones en los niños menores de 12 meses de edad. Población y métodos: estudio longitudinal prospectivo. Se incluyeron en el estudio los niños nacidos entre el 1 de enero y el 30 de septiembre de 2010 que acuden a consulta de Pediatría de Atención Primaria. Se excluyeron los niños que presentaban patología respiratoria o cardiaca grave o inmunodeficiencias graves. Los datos se obtuvieron de la historia clínica informatizada y de las entrevistas en visitas programadas a los padres a los 6 y a los 12 meses. Para el análisis estadístico de los datos se utilizó el programa estadístico R® (R Development Core Team, 2011). Resultados: los niños que acuden a la guardería presentan más episodios infecciosos que los que no lo hacen, siendo estadísticamente significativas (p-valor <0,05) las diferencias respecto a bronquiolitis, bronquitis, conjuntivitis, faringoamigdalitis, gastroenteritis aguda, laringitis, neumonía, otitis media aguda, resfriado común, sibilancias, sinusitis y para el total de patologías. Los niños que asisten a guarderías tienen un riesgo dos o más veces mayor de padecer bronquiolitis, bronquitis, faringoamigdalitis y otitis media, que los que no acuden. Conclusión: teniendo en cuenta estos resultados, parece aconsejable intentar otras fórmulas diferentes para el cuidado de los niños en edades tempranas (AU)

Introduction: the current structure of Spanish society favors the attendance of children at day care to increasingly early ages. This is a risk factor in itself to the condition of infection of the upper and lower respiratory tract, as well as acute otitis media, gastrointestinal infections and other infections. Objective: to evaluate the influence of day care attendance on the risk of infections in children under 12 months of age. Population and methods: prospective longitudinal study. Children born between 1 January and 30 September 2010, attending primary care pediatrics’ offices, were included. We excluded children who had severe respiratory or cardiac disease or severe immune deficiency. The data were obtained from computerized medical records and interviews with parents in scheduled visits at 6 and 12 months. In the statistical analysis of the data the statistical software R© (R Development Core Team, 2011) was used. Results: children who attend day care have one or more infectious episodes in higher percentages with statistically significant (p-value <0.05) differences for bronchiolitis, bronchitis, conjunctivitis, tonsillopharyngitis, acute gastroenteritis, laryngitis, pneumonia, acute otitis media, common cold, wheezing, sinusitis and for total pathologies. Attendance at nursery could be responsible for between 35% and 50% of the acute otitis, gastroenteritis, bronchiolitis and bronchitis. Conclusion: taking into account these results, it seems advisable to try other different ways for the care of children in early ages (AU)

Contenido en metales (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu y Zn) en el menú mensual de una guardería pública de Tenerife / Metal content (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) in the monthly menu of a Tenerife public preschool

Fundamento: Determinación de las concentraciones de Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu y Zn en el menú de una guardería pública de Tenerife. Estimación y evaluación de las ingestas metálicas. Métodos: 47 muestras del menú mensual de una guardería pública fueron analizadas. Los metales fueron determinados mediante Espectroscopia de Absorción Atómica con Llama. Para la estimación de las ingestas se usó el peso de las raciones servidas. La evaluación de las ingestas se hizo por comparación con las Ingestas Dietéticas de Referencia (IDRs) establecidas para la población infantil española. Resultados: El contenido medio de Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu y Zn en el menú fue de 1882,14; 1690,94; 192,61; 193,15; 2,35; 0,37; 0,49 y 4,76 mg/kg, respectivamente. Las ingestas diarias estimadas de Na obtenidas de este almuerzo (1047,18 mg para niños de 0-1 año y 1038,2 mg Na para niños de 1-3 años) son superiores a las IDRs. Asimismo, el menú servido no cubre los valores de ingestas de Fe, Mn y Ca recomendados para el almuerzo (35% de las recomendaciones diarias). Conclusiones: Se recomienda un rediseño del menú servido en este centro escolar (AU)

Background: To determine the Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn concentrations in a public preschool's menu from Tenerife . Assessment and evaluation of the metals estimated daily intakes. Methods: 47 samples corresponding to the monthly menu of the public preschool were analyzed. Metals were determined by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. Metal daily intakes were estimated using the portions? weight. The estimated intakes were compared with Dietary Reference Intakes (RDIs) set for the Spanish infant population. Results: The average contents of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn in the menu were 1882,14; 1690,94; 192,61; 193,15; 2,35; 0,37; 0,49 and 4,76 mg/kg, respectively. The estimated Na intakes obtained from this lunch (1047,18 mg for children aged 0-1 years and 1038,2 mg Na for children aged 1-3 years) are higher than the recommended IDRs. Furthermore, the served menu does not cover the Fe, Mn and Ca intakes that are recommended for a lunch (35% of the total daily recommendation). Conclusions: A redesign of the menu served in this school has been recommended (AU)

Crianza de los hijos y actividad laboral: ¿cómo aproximamos hacia la necesaria conciliación? (I Parte) / Parenting and work; how to approach a necessary reconciliation? Psychosocial reflections (Part 1)

Muchas de las intervenciones que desde las instituciones públicas se han realizado en las últimas décadas sobre de la conciliación entre vida familiar y vida social, han tenido poco en cuenta los datos psicológicos disponibles, al menos los precedentes de la psicología del desarrollo. Frecuentemente, esas intervenciones han estado orientadas por presupuestos ideológicos, no verificables ni contrastables, cuando no corporativos, a menudo poco coincidentes con los nuevos descubrimientos científicos. En la primera parte de este trabajo se proponen una serie de argumentos sociales y psicosociales a favor y en contra de la escolarización temprana, así como algunas de las propuestas y prácticas internacionales en este ámbito (AU)

Many of the interventions made by public institutions in recent decades concerning the balancing of family and social life have paid scant attention to the psychological data available, at least form the field of developmental psychology. When data has been considered, it has often been so only partially. Interventions have frequently been guided by ideological beliefs, not verifiable or testable, if not corporate, and poorly matched with new scientific discoveries. The first part of this paper presents a series of social and psychological arguments for and against early schooling. Several international proposals and practices in this ambit are reviewed (AU)

Preschool child care participation and obesity at the start of kindergarten.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between type of child care, participation in different types of child care in the year before kindergarten and the likelihood of obesity at the start of kindergarten. METHODS: Using a nationally representative sample of 15 691 first-time kindergartners from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, we used logistic regression to estimate the relationship between type of primary child care arrangement and children's likelihood of being obese at the start of kindergarten. Our models controlled for family and child characteristics associated with obesity and choice of child care. To examine differential effects of child care participation for groups at high risk for obesity, we tested interactions between children's ethnicity and income with primary type of child care. RESULTS: At the start of kindergarten, 12% of the children were obese. Without controlling for other characteristics of children and families, children not in child care were significantly less likely and children in family, friend, and neighbor care were significantly more likely to be obese than children in other primary child care arrangements. White children were significantly less likely and Latino children more likely to be obese than children of other ethnic groups. After controlling for relevant child and family characteristics, children in family, friend, and neighbor care and non-Latino children in Head Start were more likely to be obese than children not in child care. For Latino children, however, participation in some types of nonparental child care had protective effects on their likelihood of being obese. CONCLUSIONS: Primary type of child care is associated with children's obesity. For Latino children, who are at a greater risk of being obese, participation in nonparental child care seems to have a protective effect. These results suggest that child care settings may be an important site for policy intervention during a crucial developmental period. Efforts to help family, friend, and neighbor caregivers support children's physical health may be warranted.

From research to policy and practice: the School of the 21st Century.

Current education reform policies focus on raising academic achievement and ensuring that all students have access to high-quality education. Because the achievement gap is apparent even before children enter school, the authors believe that education reform must encompass the early childhood years. The current dialogue about universal preschool presents an opportunity to address the need for a national system for early care and education. The authors believe this system should provide quality child care and preschool experiences for all children and embrace a whole-child approach that nurtures not only cognitive development but physical and mental health and social-emotional behaviors that are also important to successful schooling. The School of the 21st Century provides an example of an effective early care and education system using the public schools. The authors' work with the School of the 21st Century shows that schools can provide high-quality, developmentally appropriate care and that these programs benefit later school performance.

Early childhood care and education: effects on ethnic and racial gaps in school readiness.

The authors examine black, white, and Hispanic children's differing experiences in early childhood care and education and explore links between these experiences and racial and ethnic gaps in school readiness. Children who attend center care or preschool programs enter school more ready to learn, but both the share of children enrolled in these programs and the quality of care they receive differ by race and ethnicity. Black children are more likely to attend preschool than white children, but may experience lower-quality care. Hispanic children are much less likely than white children to attend preschool. The types of preschool that children attend also differ. Both black and Hispanic children are more likely than white children to attend Head Start. Public funding of early childhood care and education, particularly Head Start, is already reducing ethnic and racial gaps in preschool attendance. The authors consider whether further increases in enrollment and improvements in quality would reduce school readiness gaps. They conclude that incremental changes in enrollment or quality will do little to narrow gaps. But substantial increases in Hispanic and black children's enrollment in preschool, alone or in combination with increases in preschool quality, have the potential to decrease school readiness gaps. Boosting enrollment of Hispanic children may be especially beneficial given their current low rates of enrollment. Policies that target low-income families (who are more likely to be black or Hispanic) also look promising. For example, making preschool enrollment universal for three- and four- year-old children in poverty and increasing the quality of care could close up to 20 percent of the black-white school readiness gap and up to 36 percent of the Hispanic-white gap.

Valoración nutricional de los menús de la guardería de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia / Nursery Menu assessment from Politechnical University of Valencia

Introducción: la alimentación del niño de 1 a 3 años debe tener como objetivo satisfacer las necesidades nutricionales y potenciar un adecuado crecimiento y desarrollo. El menú del comedor escolar debe aportar entre un 30 y un 35 por ciento de las necesidades energéticas diarias, y debe ajustarse a las necesidades de micronutrientes esenciales. Objetivos: en el presente trabajo de investigación se evaluó el aporte de calorías y nutrientes de los menús ofrecidos por la guardería de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, con el fin de corregir deficiencias (por exceso o defecto), y obtener una oferta más saludable y equilibrada. Resultados: los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto que los menús ofrecidos en la guardería presentan aportes inadecuados de energía, proteínas, y grasas. Asimismo, se han detectado déficits de algunos micronutrientes esenciales, como el hierro, ácido fólico, zinc y vitamina B12, nutrientes de gran relevancia en la nutrición de los escolares. Conclusiones y recomendaciones: se considera esencial el rol de los padres en la optimización de la calidad de la alimentación de los niños, y en la importancia del desayuno, como aporte energético elemental en la etapa de crecimiento y desarrollo (AU)

Diez años de enfermedades en la guardería. Procesos gastrointestinales / Ten years of illness in the day care center: gastrointestinal diseases

Tercera entrega del análisis de los resultados obtenidos de un estudio prospectivo de las enfermedades en una guardería a lo largo de 10 años. En este artículo exponemos los resultados de los procesos gastrointestinales que hemos recogido. Como datos a destacar, comentaremos que los niños menores de 2 años han presentado 2-3 veces más días de baja por procesos gastrointestinales que los niños mayores. Los días de enfermedad tanto escolarizados como de baja han sido de 3 a 4 veces superiores en los menores de 2 años que en el resto. La incidencia de parasitosis y gastroenteritis bacterianas se halla muy por debajo de la expresada por otros autores (AU)

Prevalencia de enteroparasitosis en guarderias infantiles del area urbana de Cochabamba / Prevalence of enteroparasitic infections in small children of the city at Cochabamba

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo el determinar la prevalencia de parasitosis intestinal en las guarderias de la ciudad de Cochabamba. Entre los resultados mas importantes se tiene que el 57// de los ninos estudiados tienen alguna enteroparasitosis, de este grupo, el 31// lleva Giardia Lamblia, 10// Entamoeba histolitica y 2// Ascaris lumbricoides. La mayor parte de los estudiados presentaron multiparasitos.

Addressing the nation's child care crisis: the school of the twenty-first century.

With nearly three-quarters of the nation's mothers in the work force, the issue of child care in America has reached crisis proportions. Despite attempts to deal with the issue over the past two decades, the United States remains without a national policy. This paper outlines the dimensions of the crisis and uses the established concept of the community school as the model for a plan that would provide high quality child care on a universal basis.