This talk summarizes select theory and research findings from an ongoing examination of family and community predictors of early childhood obesity begun as the STRONG Kids Program at the University of Illinois in 2008 and extended to the University of Michigan in 2011. The six-Cs ecological model of predictors of child energy intake and output is offered as a foundational framework, followed by select findings from research on families of preschoolers in Illinois and Michigan regarding the role of commercial media exposure in child dietary intake and developing healthy-meal schemas.