title: Does Intervening in Childcare Settings Impact Fundamental Movement Skill Development?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Knowing that motor skills will not develop to their full potential without opportunities to practice in environments that are stimulating and supportive, we evaluated the effect of a physical activity (PA)-based intervention targeting childcare providers on fundamental movement skills (FMS) in preschoolers attending childcare centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this two-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial, six licensed childcare centers in Ottawa, Canada, were randomly allocated into one of two groups (three controls, n = 43; three interventions, n = 40). Participants were between the ages of 3 and 5 yr. Childcare providers in the experimental condition received two 3-h workshops and a training manual at program initiation aimed at increasing PA through active play and several in-center "booster" sessions throughout the 6-month intervention. Control childcare centers implemented their standard curriculum. FMS were measured at baseline and 6 months using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Groups did not differ on sociodemographic variables. Compared with control, children in the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in their standardized gross motor quotient (score, 5.70; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.74-10.67; P = 0.025 and gross motor quotient percentile, 13.33; 95% CI, 2.17-24.49; P = 0.020). Over the 6-month study period, the intervention group showed a significantly greater increase in locomotor skills score (1.20; 95% CI, 0.18-2.22; P = 0.022) than the control group. There was a significant decrease in the object control scores in the control group over the study period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A childcare provider-led PA-based intervention increased the FMS in preschoolers, driven by the change in locomotor skills. The childcare environment may represent a viable public health approach for promoting motor skill development to support future engagement in PA.
authors.affiliation: 1School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA; 2Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA; 3Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA; 4School of Exercise Science, Physical & Health Education, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, CANADA; 5School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA; and 6Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA.
authors.forename: Kristi B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Adamo
authors.forename: Shanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Alysha L J
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: Kimberly P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Grattan
authors.forename: Patti-Jean
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Naylor
authors.forename: Viviene A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Temple
authors.forename: Gary S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Goldfield
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills