Differences in preschool-age children's dietary intake between meals consumed at childcare and at home

•More fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy are consumed at childcare than at home.•More high-fat high-sugar foods and drinks are consumed at home than childcare.•More energy is consumed at home than childcare.•Childcare and families can work together to ensure optimal nutrition for children.

Preschool children need optimal nutrition, including a variety of nutrient-dense foods, for growth and development. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in foods and nutrients consumed at childcare and home environments. Children ages 3-to-5 years (n = 90, 3.8 ± 0.7 years; 56% female) from 16 childcare centers participated in this cross-sectional study from 2011 to 2014. Lunches at childcare were observed for two days; three days of dinners at home were reported by caregivers. Nutrient-dense and energy-dense foods were counted and nutrient content of meals was determined using FoodWorks®. More servings of fruit (0.92 ± 0.82 vs. 0.15 ± 0.26; p ≤ 0.0001), vegetables (1.47 ± 1.43 vs. 0.62 ± 0.60; p ≤ 0.0001), and low-fat dairy (0.83 ± 0.32 vs. 0.07 ± 0.19; p ≤ 0.0001) were consumed at childcare than at home. More servings of high-fat, high-sugar foods (0.08 ± 0.18 vs. 0.43 ± 0.39, p ≤ 0.0001) and sugary drinks (0.22 ± 0.41 vs. 0.39 ± 0.35. p ≤ 0.001) were consumed at home than at childcare. There were no differences between environments in whole-grains, high-fat meats, or high-fat high-sugar condiments consumed. On average, children consumed 333.0 ± 180.3 kcal at childcare and 454.7 ± 175.3 at home (p ≤ 0.0001). There were no differences in macronutrient profiles or in iron, zinc, folate, or vitamin B6 intake. More calcium (86.2 ± 44.6 vs. 44.6 ± 22.2 mg/kcal, p ≤ 0.0001) and vitamin A/kcal (56.1 ± 36.9 vs. 26.5 ± 24.2 RAE/kcal, p ≤ 0.0001) were consumed at childcare than at home. Preschool children are consuming more nutrient-dense foods and a more servings of fruit and vegetables at childcare during lunch than at home during dinner. Childcare and parents should work together to provide early and consistent exposure to nutrient-rich foods to ensure optimal nutrition for developing children.