This study examined whether specific parental beliefs and behaviors were related to the maintenance of preschoolers' early interests in conceptual domains. Assessments of home environments and interest support between ages 4 and 5 years were used to predict different types of child interest profiles over an ensuing 24-month period. Subtle differences in home environments and parental attitudes were noticeable at interest inception between a subgroup of children who sustained long-term individual interests and a subgroup that did not. In particular, parents of children with long-term individual interests tended to place a heavier emphasis on academic stimulation, the role of curiosity in learning, and provided more interest-related materials in the home than parents of children with shorter-term interests. Implications for ontogenetic models of interest development are discussed.