Mealtime Practice Required at Nursery School: From the Perspective of the Environmental Setting

Abstract

  This study administered a questionnaire survey regarding mealtime practice at nursery schools. The study aimed to identify the efforts nrusery schools need to undertake regarding meals, considering their influence on children's eating behaviors. The results revealed that nursery schools rely on individual childcare providers to engage with children for feeding, which reconfirms a major role that each childcare provider is expected to play. Conversely, differences were observed among nursery schools in terms of the environmental setting that is expected to influence children's eating behaviors. Nursery schools are centers which can regulate childcare activities and the environment in which meals are served. From the perspectives of meal quality as well as support for childcare providers, it is crucial for each nursery school to make efforts to understand and share their knowledge regarding the significance of various environmental settings for daycare meals.