The complexity of the relationship between families and preschools is conceptualised in the literature through the metaphor of “riding a tandem bicycle” (Mason et al., 2023). Similar to a successful ride where both riders must jointly determine the goal and pedal in sync to maintain balance and momentum, the partnership between families and preschools involves active participation and joint decision-making by all stakeholders, grounded in mutual respect, support, acknowledgement, trust, reciprocity, equality, responsibility, and two-way communication (Rouse & O’Brien, 2017). Developing such a partnership requires time and the willingness of all parties to engage in the process.

Partnership between families and preschools, (re)defined in this manner, represents an "ideal to strive for" in educational systems. Numerous studies highlight differences in the quality of the partnerships between and within different educational systems and cultures (Hujala et al., 2009; Mills-Koonce et al., 2022; Norheim et al., 2023; OECD, 2021; Petrović et al., 2019; Vlasov & Hujala, 2017; Powell et al., 2010; Fenech et al., 2019). Based on empirical findings, the following dimensions of partnership have been identified as potential stressors in the process of building quality relationships between parents and educators:

1. Parental involvement in preschool life—Families differ in the degree and nature of their participation in daily preschool activities.
2. Family-focused professionalism – Educators vary in how they assess the need for and the level of development of professional competencies that form the basis of supporting diversity among families. For instance, educators’ responsiveness to the needs of children and families, recognised by parents as crucial, plays a key role in building trust and strengthening partnerships.
3. Parenting skills—Parents differ in their readiness to continuously reevaluate their parenting beliefs and practices to support the child’s well-being and the overall family. In some educational systems, educators note that even in high-quality relationships between families and preschools, there remains room for further alignment between the parent’s perception of the child and the educator’s perspective used to organise the educational program.
4. Shared leadership – Educators differ in their openness to sharing responsibility with parents in the educational process. In some countries, educators believe that the educational program belongs solely in the preschool, while in others, educators argue that parents can equally contribute to supporting all aspects of children’s development at home and in preschool, emphasising the need for continuity between these two environments. Beyond educators’ understanding and professional experience, the possibility of shared leadership heavily depends on general legislation, as well as the culture and structure of the preschool.

The complexity and sensitivity of building partnerships between families and preschools, shaped by historical, economic, and socio-cultural influences (OECD, 2021; Vlasov & Hujala, 2017; Pavlović Breneselović et al., 2021), underscore the need for continuous monitoring of this critical aspect of the preschool education system. Therefore, this paper will present insight into the current state of partnership development between families and preschools from the parents' perspective in Serbia. The paper will define how the different dimensions of parents' insights on partnership with ECEC teachers cluster at the individual level, in this case, parents (person-centred analysis).

Context of the study. The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia introduced the new ECEC curriculum framework, “Years of Ascent,” implemented in all public preschool institutions from 2019 to 2022 [1]. Data was collected in November and December 2023 after all preschool institutions officially started implementing the new curricula. Sample. A convenient sample represents answers from 2730 parents across Serbia. Children of parents from this study were enrolled in 25 preschool institutions (over 140 kindergartens). Most of the participants were mothers (92.75%). Slightly more than half of the sample consists of parents of girls (50.4%). Questionnaire. Parents completed an online questionnaire to define their satisfaction with the actual program from the perspective of the child and the extended family. Six variables were identified as being related to the characteristics of family involvement in the real curriculum: 1. % of parents who are aware of new curricula changes); 2. % of parents who use five or more resources to be informed about real curriculum activities; 3. % of parents who are involved once or more in the real curriculum (i.e. projects) 4. % of parents who participate in the real curriculum in three or more ways (i.e. bringing materials, collaborating in the activities in the kindergarten, continuing the activities from kindergarten at home) 5. % of parents who are familiar with the content of the project support 6. % of the parents recognise the impact of the actual program on the family's well-being (i.e. better understanding of their child, improved parental competencies, recognised specificities of the family) Analysis. Hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward's method), multinomial logistic regression, and nonparametric statistics were used to determine the different profiles of parents in the sample and whether the differences among the defined profiles are statistically significant. [1] Implementation of the new curricula framework was supported by the Capacity Building Programme (CBP), under the project of the Ministry of Education (MoE) of the Republic of Serbia “Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care” (part of the subcomponent 2.1.), supported by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The CBP is developed in cooperation of the MoE, UNICEF and the Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. Data from this study is collected as a part of framework for monitoring and evaluation of the Capacity Building Programme.

Data was organised into three clusters. The first cluster, Following the teachers' lead, included most of the parents (63%). Parents in this group are familiar with all aspects of implementing the real curriculum in their child's kindergarten, including the new curriculum concept. Although most parents are involved in the project (85%), they usually only participate once. Typically, they bring materials to the kindergarten or continue activities with children at home. Most (86.7%) believe the program positively impacts the family. They emphasise feeling welcomed in the kindergarten, understanding their child better, and spending quality time with them. The second cluster, Pedalling with the same strength and determination, encompasses 21% of parents. They describe the collaboration with the kindergarten as fully accomplished, from being informed and actively participating in current projects to recognising the program's positive impact on the entire family's well-being, such as recognising the unique characteristics of their family within the program (94.4%), understanding themselves as parents and strengthening their parenting competencies through the program (85.6%), and having opportunities to relax and gain new experiences through participation in the program (89.4%). Finally, the cluster Pedalling in the opposite direction (16%) includes parents significantly less involved in the actual program's activities than parents from the other two clusters. Only 53% of these parents state familiarity with the new curriculum framework, unlike the other two profiles (85–92% of parents informed about the new curricula). Additionally, parents from the third cluster are the least likely to recognise the program’s positive impact on the entire family’s well-being. The distribution of the parents in the clusters was analysed in relation to variables like the education of the parents, experience with preschool education, and sex of the child. Data was also commented concerning the recommendations for further developing the partnership between parents and kindergartens

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