In contrast to the many studies that have examined parenting in low-income families from a deficit perspective, this study examines their strengths by proposing and testing a model of parenting goals derived from social and developmental theories on goal-orientation, motivation, attachment, and child socialization. The model posits two categories of parenting goals, empathy goals, and socialization goals, as described by Dix (1992), and extends previous theories of parenting, e.g., Darling's and Steinberg's (1993), by suggesting that empathy goals operate more distally to academic achievement, through the mediator of socialization goals. The model, tested in a sample of 220 Head Start pre-schoolers of largely African American descent, suggests that establishing an environment of responsiveness to a child's emotional needs is an important precursor to parents' efforts at improving academic performance. Based on the results of these tests, a number of theoretical and practical implications are offered regarding increasing parental involvement in the early education of low-income children. (Contains 1 figure, 5 tables, and 2 footnotes.)