title: Creating potential for common ground and communication between early childhood program staff and parents about young children's eating.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore child care staff and parent perspectives and communications about children's eating in child care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focus groups (FGs) conducted with child care staff and parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four Western states in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine child care staff in 7 FGs and 25 parents in 6 FGs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thoughts and concerns about children's eating and opportunities to improve communication between staff and parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Content analysis (FG coding inter-rater reliability: staff = 0.74; parents = 0.81) and identification of meta-themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three meta-themes were identified: (1) recognition of positive influences of the child care setting in children's development of healthy eating; (2) concerns about children's eating in child care and at home; and (3) strategies to improve communications and transactions related to children's eating.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Staff reported that their roles included informing parents about food at mealtimes in child care (eg, menus, recipes) but also educating parents about child nutrition and feeding. Parents valued daily information about their child's eating to adjust home mealtimes and to feel connected to their child. Barriers to effective communication included limited time and concerns regarding parent reactions and defensiveness. Staff requested training about child nutrition and feeding and about sensitive communications with parents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Section of Nutrition, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO. Electronic address: susan.johnson@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramsay
authors.forename: Jill Armstrong
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Shultz
authors.forename: Laurel J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Branen
authors.forename: Janice W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Fletcher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: child care; child nutrition; feeding behavior; nutrition education; parents