The "Research in Practice Series" is published four times each year by Early Childhood Australia. The series aims to provide practical, easy to read, up-to-date information and support to a growing national readership of early childhood workers. The books bring together the best information available on wide-ranging topics and are an ideal resource for children's services workers and others interested in the care and education of young children. Partnerships are built on mutual trust and respect. They recognize and value the ideas and opinions of all parties and, in early childhood services, both families and staff need to work together to support young children's learning. This book discusses the importance of sharing and combining information about the social and cultural values of families, and the hopes and expectations they hold for their children, together with the knowledge of educators about effective pedagogy to support children's learning. In doing so, strategies to promote such communication are identified. The contents of the book include: (1) About the Author; (2) Introduction; (3) Why Is Family Involvement Important?; (4) Starting the Communication Process; (5) A Process to Promote Shared Meaning; (6) Stage 1: Communication about Physical and Safety Needs; (7) Stage 2: Communication about Belonging; (8) Stage 3: Communication to Build Self-Esteem; (9) Stage 4: Communication about Knowing and Understanding; (10) Stage 5: Communication Based on Self-Actualization Promoting Reciprocal Communication; (11) The Process as Practice; (12) Conclusion; and (13) References. [This document was produced by Early Childhood Australia Inc., formerly known as the Australian Early Childhood Association.]