Table 1 Physical activity policy and practice survey items and measures

Does your service have a written policy on physical activity?

Yes; No; Don’t know

% of services that responded yes

1. Services with a physical activity policy [19, 22]

Does your policy specifically refer to development of fundamental movement skills?

Yes; No; Don’t know

% of services that responded yes

a) Physical activity policy referring to child fundamental movement skills development

Does your policy specifically refer to limits on small screen recreation & TV?

Yes; No; Don’t know

% of services that responded yes

b) Physical activity policy referring to limits on small screen recreation and TV

Does your policy specifically refer to staff training in physical activity?

Yes; No; Don’t know

% of services that responded yes

c) Physical activity policy referring to physical activity training for staff

Does your service carry out planned, adult guided sessions to facilitate preschool age children’s exploration and development of fundamental movement skills? This would include structured teacher led activity during which children explore and practice one or more Fundamental Movement Skills

Yes; No

% of services that:

2. Services conducting daily fundamental movement sessions with recommended components [28, 43]

• responded yes to carrying out sessions;

and

• responded that sessions were conducted once per day

and

• responded that sessions always included; warm up, cool down, skill specific feedback, extension and challenge experiences, modeling and demonstration.

How often do the fundamental movement skills sessions occur?

Once per day; 4 times per; 3 times per week ; 2 times per week; Once per week ; Less than once per week ; Don't know

How often do fundamental movement skills sessions include each of the following components? Warm up & cool down activities? Skill specific feedback e.g. error detection and correction? Extension and challenge experiences? Staff modeling and demonstration?

Always; Very often; Sometimes; Rarely; Never

How much of your daily operating time is spent in a form of specific adult guided activity such as group music, dancing or planned fundamental movement skills sessions with preschool age children?

Hours and minutes recorded

Mean hours

3. Time spent on structured physical activities [10, 17, 19, 23]

On a usual day do primary contact staff join in and participate with preschool age children during child initiated free active play? This is when staff join in with active play that the children initiated and are leading and would include activities such as a staff member pushing a child on a swing while talking to another staff member. Please note general supervision while standing still is not considered role modelling.

Yes; No; Don’t know

% of services that:

4. Services where all staff usually participate in free active play (role modeling) [26, 27]

• responded yes to primary contact staff joining in and participating with children during child initiated free active play;

and

responded that all staff implement this practice

How many primary contact staff implement this practice?

All staff; Most staff ; Some staff

On a usual day do primary contact staff provide verbal prompts to encourage or extend preschool age children’s activity during child initiated free active play by saying things like 'run hard', 'good throw', or 'can you do it again'?

Yes; No; Don’t know

% of services that:

5. Services where all staff usually provide verbal prompts for physical activity [26, 27]

• responded yes to primary contact staff providing verbal prompts to encourage or extend children’s activity during child initiated

How many primary contact staff implement this practice?

All staff; Most staff ; Some staff

and

• responded that all staff implement this practice

On average, how often are preschool age children allowed to watch small screen (e.g. television, videos or DVDs or have time to play computer games) where they are sitting still?

Once per day; 4 times per week ; 3 times per week ; 2 times per week; Once per week; Less than once per week; Never

% of services that answer yes to less than once per week

6. Services where children are allowed to watch Small screen recreation less than once per week [14, 25]

This question is about occasions during the day where the MAJORITY of children are sitting still for more than 30 minutes at a time, for example times where staff put toys on a table and children are only allowed to sit at the table and play, or group activities where children are seated on the floor. On average, excluding meal and nap times, how many occasions during the day would this occur?

Never; Once per day; 2 times per day; 3 times per day; 4 times per day; 5 times per day; Don't know

% of services that responded never

7. Services where children participate in seated activities for no longer than 30 minutes at a time [14]

Next I would like to ask you some questions about any professional development relating to physical activity attended by your staff. development relating to physical activity attended by your staff. In the last 12 months have any staff at your service participated in professional development or specific training relating to physical activity provided by an agency external to your service?

Yes; No; Don’t know

% of services that responded yes

8. Services with staff trained in physical Activity [19, 21]