In this volume, gender and schooling in the early years addresses a broad range of issues including, but not limited, to gender equity in education. We explore, for example, the complex world of play in Fromberg's chapter and are reminded that for young children, play involves issues of power and hierarchy in ways that parallel the role of gender in society. Miletta's study of preschool children in northern Italy, at Reggio Emilia, reveals a story of classroom interactions where gender differences are not part of the equation for the youngsters. Her chapter begs the question, "How does this environment empower all children, regardless of gender?" Two chapters provide a lens to the Montessori setting for young children. Wilgus studies the gendered patterns of young women teaching at a Montessori school, while Irby, Rodriguez, and Lara-Alecio explore the intersections of culture and gender at a bilingual Montessori public school. Further examining the preschool years, Plaster and Schiller address the current brain research and examine the ways in which the adults that staff early child care programs, and the environments that they offer, play an important role in the development of our children. Following the introduction: The Early Childhood Environment: Exploration of Gender Issues (Janice Koch and Beverly J. Irby), this book contains the following chapters: (1) The Power of Play: Gender Issues in Early Childhood Education (Doris Pronin Fromberg); (2) Gender Issues; Focusing on the Importance of Early Care and Education Programs in Center-Based Settings (Elizabeth Plaster and Pam Schiller); (3) Gender, Authority, and Montessori: Early Childhood Teachers' Choices of Interactional and Disciplinary Styles (Gay, Wilgus); (4) Prekindergarten Bilingual Montessori Education: A Gendered Perspective (Beverly, J. Irby, Linda Roderiguez, and Rafael Lara-Alecio; (5) Managing Dilemmas: Uncovering Moral and Intellectual Dimensions in a Reggio Emilia Classroom (Alexandra Miletta); (6) Early Mathematics: Learning in the Block Center (Barbara Polnick and Carole Runk); (7) Science Education and Gender: The Early Years (Linda Plevyak); (8) The Role of Educators in Communicating Gender Equity to Parents (Laverne Warner and John Barrerra; (9) Gender Equity in Early Childhood Assessment (Genevieve Brown, Beverly J. Irby, and LingLing Yang; (10) Trajectory from Bullying to School Violence; A Gender Perspective (Rebecca A. Robles-Pina and Carrie H. Butler); (11) Emergent Leadership through Mentoring in Early Childhood Education Lee Turner-Muecke.