Management Issues Impacting Family Day Care Homes Operating Within the Child and Adult Care Food Program Guidelines: A Review of Literature

摘要

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) that operates in the Family Day Care Home (FDCH) setting plays a vital role in quality managed child care services. The overriding goal for the nutrition assistance program is to promote the health and nutrition of children participating in the program. The focus of this review was to examine the available child care literature as it related to management issues impacting FDCHs operating within the CACFP framework. Researchers observed a limited number of peer-reviewed articles that addressed FDCH management issues in publications drawn from 1993 to date. The literature suggests four broad areas of concern: accountability, quality, provider, and parental issues. The results of the literature review provide useful information regarding the FDCH program and the vital role it plays at the local level in providing child care services for children living within the community. It is the CACFP framework that assures the nutritional needs of children are met, training is provided, and oversight of the program occurs through a monitoring process directed by the sponsoring organization. Although little is written outside program regulation issues, it is evident that FDCH providers participating within the guidelines of the CACFP supply a service that meets the child care needs for those served.