Contrary to the concept of school readiness as achieving a particular set of attributes considered essential for educational success, this article is grounded in the assumption that all children are ready to learn, but what they are expected to learn varies widely from one cultural setting and historic period to another. The authors challenge the notion of readiness as a finite characterization of children's learning potentials. Alternately, they conceptualize readiness as a reflection of the quality of the relationships between families and early childhood professionals. The authors discuss the various concepts of optimal child development and effective parenting; the pragmatic and social justice imperative of information exchange between families and early childhood professionals; and the potential of constructing communities of adult learners within contexts of early childhood services in lieu of traditionally separate parent education and professional development experiences. (author abstract)