This study examined the views of parents and educators from kindergarten programs in Canada on ideal kindergarten practice. Data sources included focus groups of parents and educators, surveys of educators in three Canadian provinces, surveys of teachers nominated as having exemplary programs, surveys of parents from these programs, and in-depth case studies of some of these exemplary programs and of other kindergarten classrooms. The findings indicated that parents and educators in the sample agreed on the efficacy of child-centered, play-based practice, although parents did place more emphasis on academics than educators. They also agreed that parent-teacher communication is crucial. The study also found that although exemplary and other programs had similar forms of parental involvement, exemplary teachers valued involvement somewhat more that other teachers. Although considerable common ground was found between parents and educators, active and regular parental involvement was not a feature of most programs. (Contains six references.) (MDM)