This study examined the mediated role of children's language in the effects of fathers' and mothers' parenting on children's school readiness. The moderated roles of maternal employment and child sex were also examined. Data were drawn from the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC), using a total of 1730 families (male children: 51%). First, in families with full-time working mothers, fathers' support parenting at age 4 predicted better language development at age 5, which in turn predicted better school readiness at age 6. Second, nonworking mothers' behavioural control parenting at age 4 predicted children's better language development at age 5, which in turn predicted better school readiness at age 6. Lastly, mothers' behavioural control parenting at age 4 directly predicted children's better school readiness at age 6. The study broadens our understanding of the influence of parenting on children's school readiness via children's language development.