Child-rearing practices are essential for early childhood development and are shaped by parental educational and sociodemographic factors. This study examined prevailing child-rearing practices and assessed the influence of parental education, income, and living environment among parents of preschool children in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional survey of 423 preschool parents was conducted using stratified random sampling. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained. Descriptive statistics profiled socio-demographic characteristics and parenting behaviours. Associations were tested using Chi-square with Cramer’s V , Spearman correlation and Mann–Whitney U tests. p