Because family and school represent the primary environments in which young children grow and develop, it is important to build and maintain strong parent participation in preschool education. Teachers can plan parent participation strategies to give equal consideration to the needs of all families represented in a class. Teachers can plan for parental involvement by: recognizing and overcoming barriers to participation; considering the resources and expertise of parents; developing communication strategies for such products as newsletters; planning ahead for parent-teacher conferences and following up on them; empowering parents with confidence; creating an environment that encourages information sharing; and limiting the number of educational objectives. To improve multicultural parent participation, teachers can: ask parents for advice and assistance, avoid generalizations about children from different backgrounds, and review children's social networks and assignments in small group activities. Contains 5 references. (LB)