In this seminal volume, leading authorities strategize about how to create early childhood systems that transcend politics and economics to serve the needs of all young children. The authors offer different interpretations of the nature of early childhood systems, discuss the elements necessary to support their development, and examine how effectiveness can be assessed. With a combination of cutting-edge scholarship and practical examples of systems-building efforts taking place in the field, this book provides the foundation educators and policymakers need to take important steps toward developing more conceptually integrated approaches to early childhood care, education, and comprehensive services. This book provides the only up-to-date, comprehensive examination of early childhood systems. It considers new efforts to expand services, improve quality, maximize resources, and reduce inequities in early childhood and offers a forum for the field to come together to frame a set of cogent recommendations for the future.