Key events in the area of early childhood education taking place during the year 1982 and having implications for young children in the United States are summarized in this booklet. Among the several important events briefly described are the establishment of the Children's Defense Fund (a private organization supported by foundations and corporate grants), a 3-year grant awarded to the Bank Street College of Education for continuing the Child Development Associate National Credentialing Program (CDA), the impact of the Reagan administration's economic policy on local and state educational organizations and programs, and the publication of various materials important to the study of early childhood education. (MP)