This collection of essays by child advocates explores three interconnected facets of the child care and education field: the broad sociocultural contexts influencing the development of young children and their families, the evolution of specific settings or programs where care and education occur, and the emerging consciousness of early childhood educators and care providers toward their responsibility for refinement of practice. Following an introduction (Frances O'Connell Rust and Leslie R. Williams) noting the convergence of what were generally separate fields-care and education-the essays and their authors are: (1) "Welfare Reform: Serving America's Children" (Daniel Patrick Moynihan); (2) "Economic Issues Related to Child Care and Early Childhood Education" (Marian Wright Edelman); (3) "Racism and the Education of Young Children" (James P. Comer); (4) "Early Interventions to Reduce Intergenerational Disadvantage: The New Policy Context" (Lisbeth B. Schorr); (5) "Is the Young Child Egocentric or Sociocentric?" (Patrick C. Lee); "Kindergarten: Current Circumstances Affecting Curriculum" (Doris Pronin Fromberg); (6) "A Comprehensive Model for Integrating Child Care and Early Childhood Education" (Bettye M. Caldwell); (7) "An Early Childhood Center Developmental Model for Public School Settings" (Guy P. Haskins and Samuel J. Alessi, Jr.); (8) "The Consequences of Employer Involvement in Child Care" (Renee Yablans Magid); (9) "Self-Reflection as an Element of Professionalism" (Barbara T. Bowman); (10) "Early Childhood in Public Education: Managing Change in a Change Field" (Frances O'Connell Rust); (11) "The New Advocacy in Early Childhood Education" (Sharon Lynn Kagan); and (12) "New Visions, New Voices: Future Directions in the Care and Education of Young Children" (Leslie R. Williams). (HTH)