A key component in enhancing childhood development is parental involvement or the collaborative interaction between family, school, and the community. It is necessary to engage parents in the educational, social, and emotional development of their child. In this chapter, parental involvement as a key element and component in enhancing childhood development is discussed. The challenge is engaging parents in the educational process of their children. It is the school community’s responsibility to make a connection between schools, parents and their children. However, the connection needs to be made early and often, during elementary school. This chapter consists of four major sections: (1) defining parental involvement in relation to community collaboration, the role of the Federal Government, and parental involvement as a form of delinquency prevention; (2) the importance of the parent and family to successful programs in relation to behavior patterns of elementary school youth and early interventions; (3) models of family involvement in relation to the role of the school in facilitating family involvement, role of the parent in parental involvement programs, and necessary design elements of programs to involve families; and (4) the description and examination of existing programs. It is most productive during the elementary years to make a concerted effort to help parents connect with their children, and children connect with their parents. References and exhibit