Date of Conferral

5-22-2024

Date of Award

May 2024

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Patricia Anderson

Abstract

The problem that was the focus of this basic qualitative study is that some parents in the United States do not always provide their young children with the nutrition necessary to support their healthy growth and development and provide the energy to fulfill their potential in school. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of parents of preschool children concerning the nutrition they provide for their preschool children, the challenges they face, and the support they receive from their children’s childcare center in providing the nutrition necessary to help their children achieve healthy growth and development and do their best in school. The conceptual framework of this study was based on the work of Contento in childhood nutrition. Purposeful sampling was used to identify 10 parents with a child enrolled in preschool in one state in the western United States; participants were recruited via informational flyer for semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis of interview data was performed to answer the research questions. One key finding was that all the participants indicated that they were aware of their children’s nutritional needs; however, they found it difficult to provide quality nutrition on a daily basis due to various challenges. Future researchers might examine a different demographic group, use a more comprehensive sample with no criteria for preschool enrollment, or focus on ways to mitigate challenges parents face. This study may foster positive social change by providing insight that parents and childcare leaders can use to support children’s healthy growth and development, both of which are pivotal for children to achieve their full potential in school.

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