Play Active Program – physical activity policy and training for Early Childhood Education and Care

Physical Activity Policy for Early Childhood Education and Care services

Investigators: Alice Wrobel, Andrea Nathan, Donna Cross, Elizabeth Wenden, Gina Trapp, Hayley Christian, Kanita Kunaratnam, Lauren Preedy, Michelle Ng, Phoebe George, Matthew 'Tepi' McLaughlin

Physical activity is critical during the early years of life for a child’s health and development, providing many benefits including healthy body weight, improved bone health and cardiovascular fitness, and enhanced cognitive, emotional and psychosocial development. However only one in three Australian children aged two to five get the recommended level of three hours of physical activity per day.

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services play an important role in encouraging young children to be physically activity, and an ECEC-specific physical activity policy can support educators to do so. The Physical Activity Policy fills this gap in the sector. This policy has been developed in collaboration with our partners, and seeks to target ECEC policy, practice, and parents to create environments which give Australian children a physically active and healthy start to life.

What is the Physical Activity Policy?
The Physical Activity Policy provides clear guidance on the amount of physical activity and sedentary time (including screen time) young children should have whilst attending ECEC, and outlines procedures which services should undertake to ensure successful implementation. The team has also developed additional resources and training to support centres in policy development and implementation. The ECEC Physical Activity Policy: A Resource Guide for Managers and Educators is packed full of practical tips, information and tools. In addition, a first in the industry, we will be providing evidence-based face-to-face and online training to support educators in encouraging children to participate in physical activity and achieve the recommended levels of daily physical activity while attending ECEC.

Our main goals in the creation of this policy include:

• National uptake and monitoring of the Physical Activity policy including 'Movement Guidelines' specific for early childhood education and care settings developed by this study.
• Training and development of ECEC staff in the use and implementation of the policy.
• Improved parent engagement with ECEC staff around encouraging and enabling children to be more physically active.

What does the project involve?
Similar to the iconic SunSmart campaign, ECEC services can become an endorsed centre, endorsed by the Cancer Council, by implementing a Physical Activity Policy at their centre.

For more information about this project and how to get involved, please get in touch with us at playce.study@telethonkids.org.au

The PLAYCE Policy project is supported by funding from a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Grant, Goodstart Early Learning, WA Department of Local Government, Sport & Cultural Industries, Minderoo Foundation, Cancer Council WA, Nature Play Australia, WA Department of Health and Australian Childcare Alliance WA.

External collaborators:

• Jasper Schipperijn (University of Southern Denmark)
• Stewart Trost (Queensland University of Technology)
• Michael Rosenberg, Amanda Derbyshire, Ashleigh Thorton (University of Western Australia)
• Clover Maitland (Cancer Council Victoria)

Project partners:

• Denise Sullivan, Robyn Landais, Ciara O'Flaherty (Department of Health WA)
• Griffin Longley (NaturePlay Australia)
• Lindsay Leek (Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries)
• Melissa Ledger, Mark Strickland and Sally Blane (Cancer Council Western Australia)
• Minderoo Foundation
• Rachelle Tucker, Shelley Prendergast (Australian Childcare Alliance)
• Todd Dawson (Goodstart Australia)

Publications:

• Development of physical activity policy andi mplementation strategies for early childhood education and care settings using the Delphi process
• Nature Play and Fundamental Movement Skills Training Programs Improve Childcare Educator Supportive Physical Activity Behavior
• Child's Play: Findings from the Western Australian ‘PLAY Spaces and Environments for Children’s Physical Activity’ Study (PLAYCE)
• The influence of the early childhood education and care environment on young children’s physical activity
• Shade coverage, ultraviolet radiation and children’s physical activity in early childhood education and care
• Nature play and fundamental movement skills training programs improve childcare educator supportive physical activity behavior

Download the ECEC Physical Environment Checklist resource for ECEC centres