- Title
- Implementation of continuous free play schedules in Australian childcare services: A cross-sectional study
- Creator
- Jones, Jannah; Wolfenden, Luke; Grady, Alice; Finch, Meghan; Bolsewicz, Katarzyna; Wedesweiler, Taya; Yoong, Sze Lin
- Relation
- NHMRC.1128348 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1128348 & NHMRC.1102943 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1102943 & ARC.DE170100382 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE170100382
- Relation
- Health Promotion Journal of Australia Vol. 31, Issue 2, p. 199-206
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hpja.285
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2020
- Description
- Issue addressed: Modifying the scheduling of physical activity opportunities to provide children with more frequent opportunities for outdoor free play has been demonstrated to increase child physical activity while in care. The primary aim of this study was to describe the implementation of continuous free play schedules to allow children to access outdoor play areas, consistent with sector guidelines in a national sample of Australian childcare services. Secondary aims were to investigate the associations between the implementation of such schedules and service characteristics, and assess the perceived barriers and enablers to implementation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken with a random sample of 326 centre-based childcare services located across Australia. Childcare service characteristics, continuous free play scheduling and perceived barriers and enablers to implementation were assessed via a survey administered to service managers online or via telephone. Results: A total of 203 service managers (62%) reported implementing a continuous free play schedule, for three periods of 126 minutes per period, each day on average. Service type (long day care services), size (services with higher numbers of child enrolments [≥80 children]) and socio-economic area (services located in lower socio-economic areas) were associated with the implementation of a continuous free play schedule. The most prevalent barriers to implementation included insufficient staff to ensure adequate supervision of children (69%) and service layout being unsuitable (65%), while the most prevalent enablers included advice on how to overcome staffing or supervision issues (89%) and to re-orientate the service layout (54%). Conclusions: There is scope to support the implementation of continuous free play schedules consistent with childcare sector guidelines. So what?: Future intervention research that targets the reported barriers and enablers to implementation is needed.
- Subject
- active play; childcare; child; early childhood; implementation; physical activity
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1419654
- Identifier
- uon:37479
- Identifier
- ISSN:1036-1073
- Rights
- This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Jones, Jannah; Wolfenden, Luke; Grady, Alice; Finch, Meghan; Bolsewicz, Katarzyna; Wedesweiler, Taya; Yoong, Sze Lin. “Implementation of continuous free play schedules in Australian childcare services: A cross-sectional study”. Health Promotion Journal of Australia Vol. 31, Issue 2, p. 199-206 (2020), which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hpja.285. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
- Reviewed
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