This article discusses professionalism in early childhood education through the analytical tool of a research-based multi-level perspective that sees this as a cultural, communal, organisational, and individual phenomenon. Starting from an understanding of professionalism derived from a model of professional expertise, the article discusses the Finnish day-care context at the social and cultural level, followed by a discussion of field-specific knowledge as a tool for building professionalism. Professionalism is further examined as it plays out in the employees' working environment, the day-care centre and its working culture and from the perspective of the professionals themselves. Key characteristics of professionalism in the Finnish early childhood education sector are also summarised. (Contains 1 table and 3 notes.)