Self-Assessment Tool

Before you use the materials on this website, please complete this assessment based on your center's practices in the last month. When answering questions, it is important to honestly assess your child care center to best identify its strengths and areas that need improvement. This will allow you to set goals to improve your nutrition and physical activity environment, policies and practices. When answering the questions, keep in mind what your facility does that majority of the time, as your practices may fall into more than one category. If applicable, be sure to involve any key staff members that may help in answering questions accurately.

Next, compare your answers with the self-assessment benchmark provided. Finally, create an Action Plan based on the template provided. This will allow you to set goals for improvement, create a timeline for achieving these goals and establish ways to measure your progress.

Water
DRINKING WATER IS	Easily visible and available for self serve	Easily visible and available on request	Visible, but only available during designated water breaks	Not visible
AT SNACK TIME, WATER IS PROVIDED WHEN MILK OR JUICE IS NOT	Always	Sometimes	Rarely	Never

Milk
MILK SERVED TO CHILDREN 12 THROUGH 23 MONTHS IS	Whole	2%	1%	Fat-free/skim
MILK SERVED TO CHILDREN 2 YEARS AND OLDER IS	Whole	2%	1%	Fat-free/skim

Juice
100% FRUIT JUICE IS SERVED TO CHILDREN	2 or more times per day	1 time or less per day	2 times per week or less on different days	Never
100% FRUIT JUICE IS SERVED TO INFANTS	1 or more times per day	1 or more times per week	1 or more times per month	Never
NON-100% JUICE (e.g., juice cocktail) IS SERVED	1 or more times per week	Less than 1 time per week	Less than 1 time per month	Never
BEVERAGES OTHER THAN MILK WATER AND 100% FRUIT JUICE (e.g., soda, sports drinks) ARE SERVED	1 or more times per week	Less than 1 time per week	Less than 1 time per month	Never

Grains & Breads
WHOLE GRAINS ARE SERVED	2 or more times per day	1 or more times per day	2-4 times per week	1 time per week or less
CEREALS WITH MORE THAN 6 GRAMS OF SUGAR ARE SERVED	1 or more times per day	3-4 times per week	1-2 times per week	Never
SWEET BREADS/GRAINS (e.g., donuts,cookies, Danishes) ARE SERVED TO CHILDREN	1 or more times per day	3-4 times per week	Once in a 2-week cycle or less	Never
SWEET BREADS/GRAINS (e.g., donuts,cookies, Danishes) ARE SERVED TO INFANTS	1 or more times per day	3-4 times per week	Once in a 2-week cycle or less	Never

Fruits & Vegetables
FRIED OR PRE-FRIED AND THEN BAKED FRUITS OR VEGETABLES (e.g., French fries, hash browns, tater tots) WITH MORE THAN 35% OF CALORIES FROM FAT ARE SERVED TO CHILDREN	1 or more times per week	Less than 1 time per week	Once in a 2-week cycle or less	Never
FRIED OR PRE-FRIED AND THEN BAKED FRUITS OR VEGETABLES (e.g., French fries, hash browns, tater tots) ARE SERVED TO INFANTS	1 or more times per week	Less than 1 time per week	Once in a 2-week cycle or less	Never

Meats & Meat Alternates
PROCESSED MEATS (e.g., bologna, hot dogs, sausage) ARE SERVED TO CHILDREN	1 or more times per week	Less than 1 time per week	Once in a 2-week cycle or less	Never
PROCESSED MEATS (e.g., bologna, hot dogs, sausage) ARE SERVED TO INFANTS	1 or more times per week	Less than 1 time per week	Once in a 2-week cycle or less	Never
FRIED OR PRE-FRIED AND THEN BAKED MEATS (e.g., chicken nuggets, fish sticks) WITH MORE THAN 35% OF CALORIES FROM FAT ARE SERVED TO CHILDREN	1 or more times per week	Less than 1 time per week	Once in a 2-week cycle or less	Never
FRIED OR PRE-FRIED AND THEN BAKED MEATS (e.g., chicken nuggets, fish sticks) ARE SERVED TO INFANTS	1 or more times per week	Less than 1 time per week	Less than 1 time per month	Never
CHEESE FOOD OR CHEESE PRODUCT IS SERVED	1 or more times per week	Less than 1 time per week	Less than 1 time per month	Never

Holidays/Celebrations
HOLIDAYS ARE CELEBRATED WITH FOODS THAT MEET GUIDELINES OR NON-FOOD ITEMS (e.g., stickers)	All of the time	Most of the time	Some of the time	Rarely or never
PARENTS ARE PROVIDED WITH GUIDELINES FOR HOLIDAY/CELEBRATION FOODS	Yes		No

Staff
STAFF SITS WITH CHILDREN DURING MEALS	Every day	A few times a week	A few times a month	Never
STAFF EATS THE SAME MEALS/SNACKS AS CHILDREN	Every day	A few times a week	A few times a month	Never
STAFF ENCOURAGES CHILDREN TO TRY NEW FOODS	Every day	A few times a week	A few times a month	Never
STAFF ENGAGES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WITH CHILDREN	Every day	A few times a week	A few times a month	Never
STAFF HELPS CHILDREN LEAERN TO RECOGNIZE HUNGER/FULLNESS CUES	Strongly agree	Somewhat agree	Somewhat disagree	Strongly disagree
STAFF MODELS POSITIVE HEALTH HABITS	Strongly agree	Somewhat agree	Somewhat disagree	Strongly disagree
STAFF IS PROVIDED WITH TRAINING/CONTINUING EDUCATION ON NUTRITION AND/OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR CHILDREN	2 or more times per year	1 time per year	Less than 1 time per year	Rarely or never

West Virginia Department of Education
1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, WV 25305
(Staff Phone and Email by Name) (School Directory)

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