Parents play a significant role in molding their children’s nutrition knowledge and behavior. The purpose of the present study was to explore parental influence on preschooler’s nutrition education from the perspectives of North Carolina–based Head Start coordinators and teachers. Investigators conducted 63 in-depth, structured interviews with Head Start Health/Nutrition Coordinators (n = 31) and teachers (n = 32). Interviews were recorded in digital audio format and transcribed verbatim. Following a grounded theory approach, researchers identified primary, emergent themes related to parental influence and a substantive-level model was developed. Head Start staff described parental background (i.e. nutrition knowledge, culture), socioeconomic status, food preferences and parental engagement/support of teacher provided nutrition education as the primary factors that affect preschooler’s nutrition education. The proposed theoretical model provides an initial understanding of the influence Head Start parents may have on their children’s nutrition education. The findings suggest more training and education opportunities for parents and teachers may be needed. Despite barriers, teachers and local community partners should continue to support parents in their efforts to reinforce positive nutrition messages among preschool children.

Creative strategies for addressing NE resource availability and use and barriers (eg, NE integration with educational standards) in Head Start are needed.

Spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) is the tendency to spontaneously address exact numerosity in the environment without prompting. While previous studies have found children’s SFON to be a stable, domain-specific predictor of mathematical abilities throughout development, it is unclear whether SFON reflects individual differences in quantitative processing. This study examined the relationship between SFON and the acuity of the Approximate Number System (ANS) in children and adults. To measure adults’ SFON, we developed a numerosity bias task (NBT). In children and adults, better ANS acuity was related to higher tendency to spontaneously focus on numerosity. Additionally, in adults, SFON was related to higher mathematical academic achievements. These findings suggest an interplay between SFON and ANS acuity, indicating a mechanism where increased ANS acuity makes numerosity elements in the environment more salient, while early self-initiated numerical practice promotes fine-tuning of the ANS. Possible implications of these reciprocal developmental pathways are discussed.

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