This article provides a historiographic analysis of the issue of pedagogical education of parents of preschoolers in Russia in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. The relevance of the study lies in the need to understand the historical experience of interaction between the family and educational institutions in the context of modern challenges in the development of preschool pedagogy. The purpose of the study is to systematize and analyze historical and pedagogical research devoted to the issue of parental education in the field of preschool education during this period. The objectives of the study are to identify the sociocultural prerequisites for the relevance of this topic; analyze the theoretical justification for the need for parental education in the works of classic pedagogical scholars; and consider the contribution of representatives of the natural sciences. To characterize the practical forms of educational activities (pedagogical journalism, publications for parents, the activities of pedagogical societies). Methodology: historiographic and comparative analysis of sources, systematization and generalization of materials. The article substantiates that the reforms of the 1860s created the institutional conditions for the emergence of the issue of parental education in the public sphere. The research results can be used in courses on the history of pedagogy, as well as in the development of modern programs for interaction between educational institutions and families. The conclusion is that the experience of parental education accumulated during the period under review is of significant value for modern pedagogical theory and practice.