The prevalence of obesity nationally among 2-5-year-old children declined from 14% in 2003–2004 to 9.4 percent in 2013-2014. However, low-income families and certain racial and ethnic groups continue to have higher rates of obesity above the national average. Past studies have indicated that children who participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are less likely to be overweight than those who do not participate in this kind of program.

The goal of this study was to determine compliance of meals offered in private childcare centers in Waller County and to evaluate the nutritional quality as well as content of meals served in state registered child care facilities against the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines. Nutritional adequacy of breakfast and, lunch menus and the types of foods offered were assessed against the Dietary Guidelines 2015-2020. A crosssectional descriptive study design was utilized to this aim. A convenience sample of 10 childcare centers was selected. Menus were collected from selected centers and three were visited for on-site meal observation. Menus were analyzed by nutrient content using Nutritionist Pro software (Axxya Systems, Stafford, Texas) and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results showed significantly lower intakes between the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for children between ages of 1-5years old and the intake of protein (P< 0.00), fat (P< 0.01), calcium (P< 0.01), and fiber (P< 0.04). Thus, we concluded that children’s dietary intakes did not meet dietary guidelines on some key nutrients necessary to support proper growth and development and prevention of disease.