Children in Child Care Aren’t Getting Enough Physical Activity

Preschool-aged children need more moderate to vigorous play to enhance growth and development

Children get much more physical exercise when they play outdoors compared to indoors. Tracy Whiteside/Shutterstock

Many children are now enrolled in some type of child care while their parents work, many for multiple hours a day, several days a week.

Given the increasingly busy schedules of today’s families, parents often rely on early childhood educators (ECEs) in child care centers to supply children with their daily physical activity, as well as other opportunities for nurturing their development.