 Discussion: Although few attempts have been made to prevent obesity during the first years of life, this period may represent the best opportunity for obesity prevention. Findings from this investigation should inform both the fields of childhood obesity prevention and early childhood research about the effects of an obesity prevention program housed in the childcare setting. H1 A child care center-based obesity prevention intervention program that includes a teacher and parent nutritional gatekeeper and role modeling program will be more effective in maintaining BMI in 3-5 year olds compared to a control group. 