D.C. needs to create regulations for day care centers that will require kids to get more exercise, according to a new study that points to climbing childhood obesity rates. But the report from Altarum Institute, a nonprofit health care consultancy, also acknowledged that limited space and equipment prevent day cares from doing much more than they are — and plenty say they are doing enough already.

Mercedes Maddox, director of Kids’ Corner Day Center in Northwest, said all her students — right down to the infants in quad-strollers — play outside at least twice a day. While the older children kick around balls or play tag, “the toddlers love to chase each other or be chased after.” Even when it’s cold outside, she said, they play indoor kickball, or Maddox and her teachers create mazes for the kids to navigate.