“All people want to be treated with respect, they want to be valued and accepted, loved and appreciated and made to feel that they are making an important contribution to society and that their wishes and desires are listened to and respected (Berg and Steiner, 2003 cited in Patel, Corter ad Pelletier, 2008, pp 23)”. Parents often feel this way and want to have a say in how and what their children are taught. Partnerships between educators and families help parents give voice to their wishes and desires, while allowing teachers and children to be valued, respected and accepted. This literature review will discuss what has been written regarding home educator partnerships. Reference will be made to a series of publications on the topic of partnerships in school and center settings. Foundations for building effective reciprocal relationships with parents and whānau The literature states that partnerships between parents and families help children feel safe within the learning environment. Porter (2008) discusses how through interactions between parents and educators, educators gain access to knowledge and support and gain a sounding board for any concerns related to the child. Children also get “permission” to develop confidence and trust with teachers (Porter 2008). With trust and confidence in and with their teachers children feel a sense of security which enables them to be able to engage in learning to the best of their ability. Arthur, Beecher, Dealth, Dockett and Farmer (2007) and Patel, Corter and Pelletier (2008) agree with Porter and add that parents and whānau often have different values ​​and expectations and that partnerships allow all involved to promote sharing of information to improve children's learning (Patel, C...... middle of paper...... child's learning. The educator should strive to ensure that the culture of families is included in the center or in school. Studies have shown us that including families in centers or schools, children's social and emotional development benefits greatly. Families often experience multiple stresses in their lives, these stresses can often affect their children's learning and educators must be sensitive to family situations. Educators should always maintain professionalism when dealing with parents and their boundaries and should never yell or argue with family members. Educators, schools and centers should regularly reflect on their practices and policies. Challenging attitudes and beliefs enable educators to become more open to the attitudes and beliefs of others and enable educators to form effective partnerships with parents.