Head Start Administrator and Teacher Perceptions of Parental Influence on Preschool Children

The purpose of this study was to explore parental influence on preschool children's nutrition education from the perspective of Head Start administrators and teachers. Beginning September 2011 through May 2012, researchers conducted 63 in-depth, structured interviews with North Carolina-based (NC) Head Start Health/Nutrition Coordinators (n=31) and teachers (n=32). Researchers recorded interviews via digital audio format and transcribed them verbatim. Through open-coding, researchers identified four primary, emergent themes related to parental influence. Following a grounded theory approach, themes were then broken down to develop a substantive-level model. Outcomes revealed parent interaction involvement (e.g. parent meetings), educational opportunities offered through Head Start (e.g. parent education classes), community support programs (e.g. public funding, private organizations), and factors related to a parent's own background (e.g. socio-economic status, food preferences) were principal parent related-components that Head Start staff reported as being influential to preschooler's nutrition education. Initial findings suggest more training and education opportunities for parents may be needed to overcome their own nutrition-related knowledge and perceptions. Yet, participants often reported a lack of parental involvement as a barrier to educational opportunities offered to families through Head Start. Despite barriers, teachers and local community partners should continue supporting parents in efforts to reinforce positive nutrition messages among preschool children. However, in order to better understand the impact of parent-related factors (e.g. involvement, influence) on children's nutrition education, researchers should also explore these issues from the perspective of Head Start parents.