Involving working parents in child care.

Parents across the country are involved in their children's early education. They are volunteers in classrooms and on field trips, help out at special events, attend parent education and family support groups, and help make decisions about their child's program by participating on policy boards and personnel committees. They attend parent-teacher conferences and reinforce what their child is learning at school.

We know that such involvement is essential to school success. In fact, an important objective of the readiness goal is that every parent in America should devote time each day to helping his or her preschool child learn. This includes active participation in child …