Early childhood professionals can build partnerships with families that allow them together to guide the learning and development of the children whose lives they share. In this article, the author shares a system of indicators in professional practice that might be helpful in building partnerships with families that enable the full effectiveness of the guidance approach. The author adapts Epstein's six criteria for parent involvement (2001), modifying them as four levels (Gartrell 2011). Encouraging parents to move through the levels depends on building trusting, reciprocal relationships. Such relationships help teachers understand and respond to children's behavior with appropriate guidance strategies.