This federal Project Grant award of $551,347.00 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), will fund a 5-year randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of the "FunPals Playgroup" intervention in reducing obesity risk among a diverse sample of 340 toddlers (18-36 months) and their parents. The intervention aims to address general parenting skills in conjunction with traditional nutrition and physical activity content to improve toddler health behaviors within a nurturing parent-child relationship. The study will compare the FunPals Playgroup to a standard parent health education class and a no-treatment control group, evaluating outcomes such as weight status, diet, and physical activity. The grant was awarded to the University of Houston System, a Hispanic Serving Institution, to conduct the research starting on September 1, 2024 with a planned completion date of May 31, 2029.