Head Start stresses the partnership between the family and the early childhood program, a relationship that is becoming increasing important in a society where more women are entering the labor force and the number of children receiving non-familial child care continues to rise. This study sought to answer two questions: (1) Are there parents who are not participating in the parent involvement opportunities provided by Head Start? and (2) What barriers might prevent such parents from becoming involved? The study explored which parents are less involved in the parent involvement opportunities provided by Head Start to determine why this involvement was not taking place. The subjects were 27 female and 2 male parents who were in their first year with the Head Start Program. Subjects were interviewed twice, 6 months apart, to obtain information on barriers to and levels of involvement. Head Start's standard parent involvement form and participant observation were used to document amounts of involvement between interviews. The results indicated that high hours of employment, and the somewhat greater financial resources that accompany employment, may compete with spending time on parent involvement. Changes in household composition accompanying program participation, such as the birth of a baby or a divorce, were also determined to be potential barriers. (Contains 12 references.) (MOK)