The purpose of this study was to clarify our understanding of the structure of parents' beliefs about kindergarten readiness, and the relationship between those beliefs and parenting practices. Based upon the results of data analyses using the National Household Education Survey (NHES: 93), social-interaction skills were reported as being more important for kindergarten readiness than were academic skills. In order to clarify typologies underlying parents' beliefs, we conducted a cluster analysis which revealed three definable groups: "Typical," "High standards," and "Low academic emphasis" groups. Other analyses suggested that views of kindergarten readiness varied across demographic characteristics such as age, education, income, and ethnic background. Most interesting was the finding that there is no strong consistency between parents' beliefs and their activities with their children at home. Implications for policy and suggestions for future research were also discussed. (Contains 4 tables.)