Serving as a vehicle for raising the profile of and thereby gaining recognition for the important research and development work being conducted in Canada in support of children and families, the "Research Connections Canada" series compiles research and/or development papers as well as background papers, analytical literature reviews, and essays. This issue of the series focuses on innovative delivery systems for early childhood care and education (ECCE) training. The papers are as follows: (1) "Mentoring: Sharing the Authority for Education with Child Care Practice" (Carmella Singleton), presenting research and case studies on the use of mentoring in professional development and in the practical components of ECCE programs; (2) "Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition [PLAR]" (Marilyn Morrice), on the role of PLAR--which grants credit to adult learners who can demonstrate college-level learning acquired through work and life experience--in ECCE training; (3) "Distance Education: Providing Bridges to Meet the Educational Needs of Early Childhood Educators" (Cheryl Brown-McLean and Joanne Morris), outlining the current role and future directions of distance education in ECCE training and the required conditions for successful implementation; (4) "Practicum in Early Childhood Care and Education Training" (Judy Pollard), outlining four key elements for successful practicum experiences and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of two models of supervision: dyadic and tri-level; (5) "An Internship Model for Early Childhood Care and Education" (JoAnne Hurst), presenting an overview of two non-early childhood internship programs and extrapolating to propose an ECCE internship model; (6) "Professional Development" (Karen Chandler), discussing professionalism as it relates to the early childhood profession and highlighting five Canadian professional development programs; (7) "Valuing Innovations in Early Childhood Care and Education Training" (Joanne Morris), summing up the preceding papers and discussing briefly the points of view as they relate to innovative training in ECCE; (8) "Models, Modes and Methods: Field Work in Early Childhood Care and Education Training Programs" (Adele Ritch and Dianne Liscumb), looking at the field work models and practices at 31 colleges in both urban and rural areas across Canada; and (9) "Community Colleges and the Delivery of Professional Development to the Early Childhood Care and Education Sector" (Jane Beach), synthesizing findings of several past studies and those from interviews and focus groups on the professional development activities offered to ECCE professionals. Each of the papers contains references. (HTH)