"Just sit and eat." Adult and Child Mealtime Responsibilities in Early Care and Education Centers During COVID-19 in Florida.

Most young children in the United States attend early care and education (ECE) programs, in which they eat 3-4 times daily. 'Division of responsibility' between adult and child means the adults are responsible for what, when and where , and the child is responsible for whether, what and how much to eat. A balanced division of responsibility can support children's development of healthy eating competency. This paper aims to describe division of responsibility during mealtimes during COVID-19 in Florida using a cross-sectional, mixed methods design. Questions were developed based on Trust Model and Social Cognitive Theory. A survey was completed by 759 ECE directors and 431 teachers, and 29 teachers completed in-depth interviews. COVID-19 increased teacher mealtime responsibilities. Most (95%+) ECE teachers provided meals at the same time and place daily (when and where) . Children determined what and how much they ate, but did not serve or handle food. Implications include modifying mealtime routines to minimize the risk of COVID-19 and support healthy eating with a balanced division of responsibility.