This paper explores various aspects of training preschool teachers in the Federal Republic of Germany to cooperate with parents in the education of their children. An initial discussion of teacher training programs in Germany focuses on the lack of a theoretical concept of socialization and social work as a basis for working with parents, and the resulting lack of daily application of such theoretical concepts. An analysis of the reasons for these difficulties, accompanied by specific arguments in favor of training teachers to work with parents, comprises the largest section of the paper. Laws, government guidelines, and literary and educational works supportive of this aspect of teacher training are analyzed, and expected forms of parent participation as well as those which have been practiced and tested are briefly described. Facets of active parent-teacher cooperation include joint responsibility towards the child, cooperative supervision, improvement of the educational competence of both parent and teacher, and a positive side-effect on social contacts and activities in the neighborhood and the community. An additional form of parent-teacher communication, written communication (providing information, reinforcement, and support) is briefly commented upon. Finally, a review of research on parent-teacher cooperative strategies in various schools in the Federal Republic of Germany is presented. (CM)