Many Factors Limit Play in Child Care

Why do kids get little physical activity in child care and preschool? Researchers asked providers and got a long list of answers. Centers often lack play equipment because of cost or space problems. What they have may be safe but boring. And child care providers feel more pressure to stress ABCs than active play. Researchers found this out through focus groups that included 49 child care providers. They said state licensing rules limit the play equipment they can offer. And kids often lose interest in equipment that meets safety standards. Providers said parents also worry about injuries and don’t push for more physical activity. But they do push for more academic work. The journal Pediatrics published the study. HealthDay News and Reuters Health news service wrote about it January 4.