Study protocol for weSIPsmarter: A cluster randomized-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of a digital health intervention aimed at reducing sugary drinks among rural Head Start preschoolers and their parents.

Predicting structure- and control-based parental feeding practices among families with low-income: An ecological approach.

Abstract Introduction Pediatric medulloblastoma patients are at increased risk for neurocognitive, social-emotional, behavioral and adaptive difficulties contributing to reduced quality of life (QoL). Methods N = 159 patients with medulloblastoma (median age=46 months, male=108, supratentorial=29, High-Risk=126) were recruited across 36 sites. Patients completed IQ assessment, while parents completed questionnaires for QoL, executive, social-emotional, behavioral, and adaptive functioning post 3- or 5-induction chemotherapy cycles but before consolidation chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant. Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests to explore impacts of variables (age, sex, risk group) were run in RStudio. Results At baseline, overall intellectual, executive, adaptive, and social-emotional, behavioral functioning and working memory, are within the lower limits of the average range. In contrast, processing speed and overall QoL, including physical, emotional, school, and social, are below normal limits. Additionally, IQ, executive functioning, adaptive skills, and QoL were not significantly different based upon age, sex, or low- and high-risk diagnosis. Parent-rated externalizing problems were significantly higher for males (p = 0.03) and internalizing problems were significantly higher for the group 3 and 4 patients (p = 0.05). Parent-reported psychological distress did not differ by sex or tumor risk; however, was significantly higher for children above the median age (p = 0.04). Conclusions These HS4 medulloblastoma patients are performing within the average range of intelligence, working memory, executive functioning, social-emotional and behavioral functioning, while processing speed and adaptive functioning are within the low average range, and QoL is significantly impacted at baseline. Parent-reported psychological distress differed by child age, while males and high-risk patients were rated with increased social-emotional and behavioral symptoms, providing cohorts for proactive interventions. These consortium data demonstrate the feasibility to collect a comprehensive baseline for a young pediatric brain tumor population, from which to compare change at ongoing 2-, 4- and 6-year follow-up on this clinical and molecular risk-tailored regimen.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) produce impact evidence with high internal validity but uncertain external validity. External validity bias has been defined as the expected difference between the average impact in the sample and the average impact in the population. This study estimated the external validity bias from several site selection methods by simulating hypothetical RCTs of the Head Start program in which some selected sites decline to participate. Three main findings emerged from the analysis. First, purposive site selection consistently produced biased impact estimates that varied in magnitude based on the outcome examined, the factors used to select sites, and the factors that influenced site decisions to participate. Second, simple random site selection yielded less external validity bias than purposive site selection under most tested conditions. Third, stratified random site selection yielded virtually no external validity bias, but the results likely overstate the method’s performance when data on impact moderators are unavailable before sites are selected. These findings offer lessons on how to select sites in future RCTs to minimize external validity bias.

This paper descriptively documents the early childhood care and education (ECE) landscape in neighborhoods that experienced socioeconomic (SES) ascent and descent in the Chicago Metropolitan Area (MSA) between 2009 and 2019. Using data from the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map and the American Community Survey, we analyze changes in ECE seats across provider types. SES ascent was most prevalent in Cook County, where zip code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) that ascended had a greater increase in ECE seats than the rest of the MSA. We do not find statistically significant differences in ECE availability between descending and stable ZCTAs, regardless of their location within the MSA. We also find little evidence that SES neighborhood change is associated with changes in the supply of Head Start or ECE capacity measured as the number of children per seat. Our study contributes to urban and educational research by highlighting how neighborhood SES change intersects with ECE access.

Assessing the intergenerational impact of head start on offspring mental health in the United States.

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Young children are curious about the world around them, including making sense of how and why the world works (e.g. science). K-12 science education has shifted its approach toward athree-dimensional, reform-based approach to K-12 science, which points to opportunities for preschool science teaching. In response to the need for examining science teaching in preschools, we used the Science Teacher Observation Protocol for Preschool (SciTOP-P) to describe teachers’ modeling and facilitation of science engagement. The results from 70 Head Start classrooms indicate that teachers used (i.e. pre-intervention) more language around management than science. When teachers engaged students in science practices, they primarily engaged in observing and investigating phenomena, sometimes following up by explaining the phenomena. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest opportunities for curriculum support and professional development to leverage the practices teachers are already implementing (i.e. observing and investigating) and toward building additional science and engineering practices.

Head Start teachers' perceptual accuracy of children's approaches to learning: Relations with teacher experiences and personal characteristics.

Early detection of endotoxemia-related systemic inflammation remains a major unmet diagnostic need. Established inflammatory biomarkers largely reflect downstream protein biosynthesis and therefore rise with delay. Direct monitoring of rapid leukocyte phenotype changes, particularly in neutrophils, may provide an earlier readout, but insufficient standardization has limited clinical translation. Using flow cytometry, we established the neutrophil cellular response capacity (CRC) in a controlled exvivo human whole-blood model of endotoxemia employing intact lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a defined prototypical pathogen-associated molecular pattern. The performance of the neutrophil CRC was thoroughly characterized and compared to conventional humoral inflammatory markers with respect to their abilityto detect endotoxemia. Screening identified CD10, CD11b, and CD66b as the best-performing CRC markers, detecting prior LPS exposure at concentrations in the low pg/mL range. In the dynamic continuum of inflammation, encompassing cellular phenotype shifts, functional changes, and subsequent humoral response, the CRC of neutrophils reliably detected very early phenotypic alterations, surpassing the sensitivity of classical clinical inflammation markers in our human blood endotoxemia model. In summary, the CRC represents a proof-of-concept approach for standardized early cellular immunomonitoring in exvivo endotoxemia. Further evaluation in more heterogeneous inflammatory settings and in patients with systemic inflammation or sepsis is warranted.

More PEAS Please! Improves Preschool Children's Science Knowledge and Language Development Through Food-Based Learning.

ABSTRACT This study examined preschool children’s science experiences using the Child Observation in Preschools (COP) measure across 60 Head Start classrooms with 307 children. Research Findings: Science instruction was infrequent, occurring in less than 20% of observed periods and significantly less than English Language Arts or mathematics activities. When science occurred, it predominantly happened during whole-group instruction. Children showed medium engagement levels (47% of science periods), primarily through parallel rather than collaborative interactions. Science experiences were largely passive, with 80% of children listening to teachers rather than actively engaging with materials or peers. Language interactions were overwhelmingly teacher-directed, with children listening rather than discussing concepts collaboratively. Individual children’s science experiences varied considerably, with some receiving multiple opportunities while others received few or none. Practice or Policy: These findings reveal significant missed opportunities for science learning in preschool settings. Teachers may benefit from professional development focused on recognizing and creating informal science learning opportunities throughout the day, particularly during center time and outdoor activities. Programs should emphasize hands-on, inquiry-based science experiences that promote higher child engagement and peer interaction rather than passive whole-group instruction.

This study examined the impacts of Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) on expressive language of Latine toddlers living with their biological parents (N = 173), randomized to home-based Early Head Start supplemented by ABC, or a control group. Mothers' mean age was 30.9 years (SD = 6.5); toddlers (49.7% male) mean age was 13.0 months (SD = 4.1). Compared to controls, children in the ABC group produced significantly higher numbers of utterances and morphemes, types, and tokens, as well as greater mean length of utterances in words and morphemes. An indirect effect of ABC through dyadic mutuality was documented for number of utterances, types, tokens, and morphemes. Findings are considered in the context of the literature on the developmental impacts of parenting interventions.

Background: Children participating in the Head Start program in the United States are predominantly from underserved groups, have increased rates of child adversity, and are at risk for externalizing behavior problems in the classroom. The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an effective classroom management strategy for reducing disruptive and off-task classroom behaviors. However, previous research has not examined the GBG within the Head Start context. Methods: The current case–controlled study evaluated the effectiveness of the GBG in six Head Start children aged 3–5. Researchers conducted daily classroom behavioral observations of disruptive behaviors, and teachers completed pre- and post-treatment assessments of externalizing behaviors and social skills. Results: Study results showed the majority of target children exhibited reductions in at least one observed externalizing behavior and clinically significant improvements in teacher-reported externalizing behaviors, although most participants did not exhibit significant changes in social skills. Findings illustrate the effectiveness of structured classroom interventions, such as the GBG, for improving classroom behavioral compliance. Results have implications for teacher training and highlight the capacity for low-intensity interventions such as the GBG to have substantial impacts on classroom management within settings such as Head Start. Future research should endeavor to determine the optimal dosage and duration of the GBG, assess the effectiveness of teacher training to administer the GBG in their own classrooms, and evaluate if the current findings generalize to other contexts.

The reinfestation of New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax [Coquerel]) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in North America has prompted a broad effort to identify new management tools. In this study, the larval parasitoid Tachinaephagus zealandicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was evaluated as a potential biocontrol using the congeneric secondary screwworm Cochliomyia macellaria (Fab.) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) as a proxy host. When host:parasitoid ratios were varied from 5:1 to 40:1, female parasitoids killed up to 18 hosts (at 40:1) and produced 66 adult wasp progeny per female over 24 h. Parasitized pupae produced from 5.6 to 11.7 adult parasitoids per pupa at host:parasitoid ratios of 40:1 and 5:1, respectively. Parasitoids showed no preference for larvae of C. macellaria or Sarcophaga bullata Parker (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Kill rates and successful parasitism was twice as high in moist (15% moisture) as in dry sandy loam soil. Addition of a layer of leaf litter to the soil surface had no effect on the ability of parasitoids to locate hosts. Parasitism in moist clay soil was similar to that in moist sandy soil, but higher parasitism was observed in dry clay than on dry sandy soil. Placing faux rocks as potential larval refuge on the pupation substrate surface provided larvae with some protection from parasitism in dry substrates. When larvae were given a 2-h head start before adding parasitoids, there was no effect on host mortality or parasitism in dry soil. Results are encouraging for possible use of T. zealandicus as a supplemental management tool for calliphorid pests.

This study investigated the correlations between family anthropometric and physiological health (i.e., body mass index [BMI], percent body fat, blood pressure [BP], skin carotenoids) and preschoolers' parent- and teacher-rated socio-behavioral outcomes (i.e., externalizing behaviors: self-centered/explosive, attention problems, antisocial/aggressive behaviors; internalizing behaviors: social withdrawal, anxiety/somatic problems; social skills: social cooperation, interaction, and independence). Baseline data from a cluster randomized clinical trial were analyzed using R 4.0. A total of 168 preschoolers (Mage = 46.98 months) and 154 parents (Mage = 31.3 years) were non-randomly recruited from 16 Head Start centers in the Midwest U.S. Both parents and teachers completed an online survey assessing preschoolers' socio-behavioral health, and blinded trained data collectors measured each dyad's height, weight, percent body fat, skin carotenoids, and parents' BP. Generalized linear mixed-effects models with restricted maximum likelihood estimation were applied, accounting for random cluster effects of childcare centers and classrooms. Preschoolers' BMI-z was positively associated with teacher-rated social skills (B = 3.66, p = 0.034). Parents' BMI had a positive relationship with preschoolers' self-centered/explosive behaviors (B = 0.61, p = 0.031) and antisocial/aggressive behaviors (B = 0.50, p = 0.045), while their percent body fat and systolic BP were negatively associated with preschoolers' anxiety/somatic problems (B = -0.40, p = 0.034; B = -0.31, p = 0.032). Preschoolers' skin carotenoids were positively correlated with their social independence (B = 0.07, p = 0.025), and parents' skin carotenoids were negatively associated with preschoolers' antisocial/aggressive behaviors (B = -0.07, p = 0.038). The results offer important insights into the complex impact of poor anthropometric and physiological health on socio-behavioral development during early childhood.

Research suggests that well-developed parent engagement programs can boost early learning and reduce socioeconomic disparities in subsequent school adjustment. Yet few follow-up studies exist. To address this gap, we followed participants in the Research-based, Developmentally Informed-Parent [REDI-P] intervention study for 8 years to evaluate adolescent outcomes. Participants included 200 4-year-old children (55% White, 26% Black, 19% Latinx; 56% male, 44% female; M age at study entry = 4.45 years) attending Head Start. Families were randomly assigned to REDI-P home learning materials and coaching or an attention control group. Multi-method measures tracked child literacy skills, learning behaviors, social competence, and conduct problems through grade 7. GLM analyses revealed significant preschool intervention effects on grade 7 working memory, β = 0.35, 95% CI 0.08, 0.62, p = .01; perceived social competence, β = 0.30, 95% CI 0.02, .58, p = .04; deviant peer affiliation, β = -0.33, 95% CI -0.60, -0.06, p = .02; and teacher-rated conduct problems, β = -0.30, 95% CI -0.58, -0.01, p = .04. Serial path models identified developmental progressions linking initial intervention effects to adolescent outcomes. Results highlight the long-term value of empowering parents to support the early social-emotional and pre-academic learning of their preschool children.

Background/Objectives: Excess consumption of energy-dense foods (EDF; ultra-processed snacks, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages) among preschool-aged children is a public health concern, particularly in low-income families. Caregiver parenting style, psychological stress, and food-parenting practices (FPP) may shape children’s EDF consumption, yet little is known about how these factors operate in real time. This exploratory pilot study examined (1) associations between baseline characteristics and EDF feeding episodes across 1 week and (2) whether caregivers’ momentary stress during EDF episodes related to FPP used. Methods: In total, 22 caregivers of Head Start children (ages 3–5) completed baseline measures and 7 days of ecological momentary assessment (up to seven prompts/day). At each prompt, caregivers reported child EDF consumption in the past hour; if confirmed, they reported FPP used and rated momentary stress. Aim 1 used Poisson regression to model caregiver-level EDF episode counts. Aim 2 tested momentary stress–practice associations during EDF episodes using GEE, with within-person and between-person stress modeled separately. Results: Authoritarian parenting was associated with a higher weekly rate of EDF episodes (RR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.23–1.66, p < 0.001); authoritative parenting trended lower (RR = 0.90, p = 0.065). Higher baseline stress was associated with more EDF episodes (RR = 1.25, p = 0.001). Momentarily, elevated stress above a caregiver’s own average increased odds of using food as a reward (OR = 1.08 per +10 points, p = 0.011), while higher average momentary stress was associated with co-eating (OR = 1.59, p = 0.042). Domain-level FPP composites showed no association with momentary stress. Conclusions: Authoritarian parenting and higher caregiver stress were associated with increased EDF feeding, and momentary stress was linked to reward-based feeding during those episodes. These hypothesis-generating findings suggest potential behavioral targets for just-in-time adaptive intervention, pending replication in adequately powered studies.

ABSTRACT Introduction Family engagement is a key contributor to positive developmental outcomes in early childhood education (ECE), particularly in programs serving high-need populations such as Head Start and Early Head Start. While extensive research highlights its benefits for children, families, and educators, limited attention has been given to how ECE professionals engage foster families. Purpose of the study This study examines educators’ and family engagement specialists’ perceptions on family engagement practices, with a focus on foster families. Materials and Methods Guided by a social constructivist framework, the study employed a qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with family engagement specialists, a focus group with center administrators, an online teacher survey, document analysis, and field notes. Data were analyzed through structural and thematic coding to identify patterns across stakeholder perspectives. Results Findings indicate that engagement practices are largely universal, with similar routines applied to all families, including informal interactions during drop-off and pick-up, parent – teacher conferences, and center-based events. Although relationship-building, trust, and communication were emphasized as central, strategies specifically tailored to foster families were limited. Discussion Engagement was primarily center based, with minimal attention to home-based approaches, despite their established link to stronger developmental outcomes. These findings suggest that a “one-size-fits-all” approach may not adequately address the unique circumstances of foster families, including placement instability and involvement in child welfare systems. Conclusion The study underscores the need for targeted professional development and system-level support to promote more responsive and context-sensitive engagement, ultimately enhancing equity and improving outcomes for children in foster care.

emotional difficulties, maladaptive behaviors, and longterm challenges, including lower academic performance and strained social interactions (Agazzi et al., 2020; Raver, 2002; Shaw et al., 2000) . Strengthening social-emotional skills during infancy and toddlerhood is especially critical for children from disadvantaged families, who often face higher stress and adversity (Evans & Kim, 2013; LoBue & Ogren, 2022; Morris & Gennetian, 2003; Whittaker et al., 2011) . Early interventions that promote social-emotional skills, particularly those that strengthen caregivers' capacities through skill-building, coaching, and relational support, can help mitigate the negative effects of adversity, leading to improved academic performance, peer relationships, and overall well-being (Parlakian, 2024; Shonkoff et al., 2012) . Early Head Start (EHS) programs, which serve pregnant women, infants, and toddlers, are well-suited to support social-emotional development by fostering positive relationships within families and caregiving environments. Research highlights that those early relationships, especially those with parents and teachers, play a crucial role in children's social-emotional development (Bowlby, Social-emotional competence in early childhood is a key predictor of a child's success in academic and life outcomes. Children with strong social-emotional competence tend to have better school adjustment, higher academic achievement, and stronger peer relationships (Adynski et al., 2024;

Customer relationship management (CRM) plays a vital role in maintaining the growth and ensuring a customer loyalty in the dynamic e-commerce industry. The new paradigm, which is CRM systems based on artificial intelligence, has been created in a bid torespond to the ever evolving consumer needs. This paper examines the role of AI in customer relationship management or CRM in e- commerce. This paragraph discusses how artificial intelligence (AI) would help resolve these problems. AI has the ability to study trendsin data, anticipate human behavior and minimize repetitive processes. Whether these apps can assist businesses to get to know more about the preferences of their customers, their head start to fulfilling their needs, and faster service delivery. The ethical aspects of the integration of AI in CRM are also discussed in thisessay, which reveals the need to be responsible in utilizing AI to ensure the security of customerinformation and confidence. The paper goes further into the future and potential developments of AI-driven CRM, such as integration of new technologies, such as blockchain, machine learning, and natural language processing, among others. This large-scale research aims at contributing to the growing body of literature on potential AI/CRM integration in the e-commerce sector. Keywords: E-commerce, Customer,