Here's new coverage of the three major theories for partnering families and communities with schools and how to put them into practice for children from birth to age eight. The authors fully discuss Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory, the contextualist theory, and the family systems theory. Early childhood education students will discover the connection between these important theories and family support programs, parental involvement in early education, national guidelines, and other strategies for forming partnerships. This higher level, more theoretical text builds on students' prior knowledge of early childhood education practices.