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He does his own thing and even runs off, and am out of ideas to help him besides informing his parents of his behavior.

Three years old boys have very short attention spans. Talking to the parents will not do anything toward increasing his attention. He will also probably not remember anything they say to him about it anyway.

My recommendation is to call his name enthusiastically when you want to tell him something or call his attention back to the group. Keep your sentences very short and specific. If you are talking at length to a group of three years olds, you are setting yourself up for frustration.

Try saying a sentence or two, then having the group (or the child, if you're talking to him directly) respond by doing something. This approach appeals to kinesthetic learning styles and holds the toddlers' attention better than just talking. 

I thought the previous post was very accurate.  I agree with the idea of "short and sweet" as critical in informing little ones about what has to be done.  I agree that you have to keep your directions extremely succinct and almost "one at a time."  In building off of the kinesthetic active notion of learning, I would also suggest that the constant movement in your activities might be good.  For example, integrating songs that have direct body movements to it might be good if you can find a way to work them into your lesson.  Also, trying to work a way of some type of physical activity into lessons might also help.  I know this is tough, but with the smaller ones, I think this form of expression is critical (I do this sometimes with my seventh and eighth graders because they need some of this, also.)

A very good principle of communication in all situations is to first attempt to understand, then try to be understood. This principle is equally valid when we use the word 'listen' instead of 'understand'. While dealing with a three year old boy, and that too your student, you don't try to make him understand through words. Children of that age need to learn things by doing and experiencing. So I suggest that instead of trying to make him understand, just try to motivate him to do what he needs to do. And even in this, try to give him maximum freedom to decide what, when and how to do things, rather than impose your ideas and methods. As long as they are safe, it is all right for them to make mistakes during the process of learning and development.

In reply to #1: Try catching him being well behaved then reward him for that with a sticker, or something that will make him be proud of himself. Little boys have a lot of energy and are sometimes hard to control, but don't give up, he will come around.

As a former Kindergarten teacher, I believe that ar 3 it is very hard to get children to sit and listen or follow more then 1 direction at a time.  I agree with the previous post about music.  Music can be used for all types of learning. Dr. Jean and Steve and Greg have great music for this age.  I use it for clean up, regular classroom rules, reading, math, and even to teach science. The kids do not know they are learning but we are having fun. 

Speak eye to eye (you will have to kneel or sit), low voice to calm yourself (and your nerves), the louder he gets the lower your voice, speak for a short time, offer two consequences in the form of: Would you like to stop or would you like to sit on time out?  Offer incentives for all things done right, break activities into shorter spans of time, provide many visuals, use music, do not adopt the "AUTHOTEACHER" distant approach, instead, make yourself very available for this child.

You need to have realistic expectations. Three year olds, especially boys, are not going to listen to you most of the time. The key is to engage them at his level and to say things that catch his attention. Use your  powers of observation to see what interests him and incorporate that into lessons. Kids like to be challenged, but not spoken down to.

Let him burn off energy when appropriate, at his age you can't expect total concentration for more than a few minutes.

When it comes to toddlers and early childhood, the important thing to recognize is what motivates and stimulates the child. Addressing the situation with the parent does nothing to create a connection between you and the child. Something I have done in the past is to establish a plan for the child when he or she has reached a point where they are no longer able to participate. Give the child a set of acceptable activities (no more than 3-4) for the child to do quietly at his/her seat, such as puzzle work or drawing. You can also create tactile activities that may stimulate the child and encourage him to remain at his seat. Give the child about 15 minutes of alone time and then attempt to refocus him to the whole group.

You may need to consider how much listening you expect from the child and establish clear methods of communication to show he is listening. It is probably best to establish that listening is a positive quality through a game or practical activity. If  'throw the red ball into the green bucket' elicits the desired response, it is clear that the child is listening. 'Simon says' as a listening game works well when you are working with several children.

I would suggest a partnership with parents - tell them your strategies and encourage similar 'game play' at home. If the boy's behaviour is significantly different than his peers, it may be worth suggesting a medical to check for hearing issues.