The transition from preschool to primary school is a critical developmental period that has drawn increasing scholarly attention. This study examined distinct patterns of parental involvement and their associations with children’s school readiness in the Chinese context. Survey data were collected from parents of 3,313 children (1,810 boys and 1,503 girls; M age = 71.17 months) across 105 kindergartens in Guangdong Province, China. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) identified five profiles of parental involvement: (1) low self-efficacy and low involvement (15%), (2) high self-efficacy and low involvement (20%), (3) low self-efficacy and intensive involvement (25%), (4) medium self-efficacy and medium involvement (25%), and (5) high self-efficacy and intensive involvement (15%). Children whose parents belonged to Profile 5 demonstrated significantly higher levels of school readiness than those in all other profiles. Family background, particularly economic and cultural capital, was significantly associated with parental involvement profiles, suggesting that the misalignment between parental beliefs and behaviours may be shaped by financial constraints in the Chinese context. These findings provide novel insights into the nuanced patterns of parental involvement and their implications for children’s transition from preschool to primary education.
LI et al. (2026) studied this question.