Early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision can have long-lasting positive effects on children's learning and development. A key feature in fostering educational outcomes is the enhancement of parental involvement. This article builds on critical concerns with the emergent 'schoolification' of ECEC and corresponding orientations of parental involvement to explore how educational partnering is perceived across countries. A thematic analysis of 13 ECEC curricula from divergent pedagogical traditions revealed subtle yet meaningful differences in interpretation and operationalisation. Three distinct curricular approaches to parental involvement were identified, which demonstrate a lack of unanimity in top-down constructions of parental roles and responsibilities. The article concludes with a discussion on the implications of these findings for policy and practice.