Families across the United States must routinely make difficult choices about child care arrangements because of the need to resume a job, continue an education or training program, or care for other family members. Leaving children in the care of others for the first time can be difficult (Sayer, Bianchi, & Robinson, 2004; Van Horn, Ramey, Mulvihill, & Newell, 2001). A societal debate continues about who can best care for the children of working families, and even whether mothers of young children should work at all (Gregg, Washbrook, Propper, & Burgess, 2005; Ruhm, 2004; Steiner, 2007; Waldfogel, Han, & Brooks-Gunn, 2002). Early care and education options for families are tremendously varied in quality and purpose. While almost all early care and education organizations advocate for the inclusion of the family in critical decisions about their children's development, institutional barriers and a family's finances often limit the extent of parents' participation. Early care and education programs often lack mechanisms for the inclusion of parents in making decisions regarding their children's early experiences (Barton, Drake, Perez, St. Louis, & George, 2004). Examination of federal and school-based partnership models provides an opportunity to learn about the unique ways in which parents may become involved in decision-making. In this article, the authors include examples of an early intervention program and a school-based model to highlight strategies for successfully involving families in the decision-making process.