Children's interactions with their special grown-ups affect everything in their lives, especially in their earliest years. And the relationships between those special people matter, too. When adult connections are caring and strong, parents, caregivers, and directors are motivated and empowered to work together to help children thrive. The book describes this concept of "relationship-based child care," what understandings and attitudes support such care, and the policies required to enact it in a center setting. High-quality family child care homes and a growing numbers of enlightened centers are already using the model. As this book's many personal stories make clear, everyone benefits from relationship-based care. This book begins with a preface and then an introduction entitled From Our Heart to Yours. Following this, the book is organized into six sections: (1) Why Relationships Matter; (2) When Caring Relationships Are Undermined; (3) Reconsidering Individual Attitudes and Behaviors; (4) Setting Policies to Meet Children's Needs; (5) Building a Caring Community around Children; and (6) Conversations of the Heart: Next Steps. A list of resources including publications, national standards, and assessment scales; and a list of organizations and websites concludes the book.