Working out assessment philosophy and practices takes time, as the team members working on the "Competent Children" research project in New Zealand have found out during the first 18 months of the project. It is imperative that those with expertise in early childhood care and education insist on developmentally appropriate assessment practice and know why they are arguing for such practices. The "Competent Children" project's goal is to find out more about the influences of early childhood experiences on children's competencies as they enter school. The two strands of influences are family background and early childhood care and education. Attempts to align the project with the aims and goals of the National Curriculum have been made. Rather than focusing on only one or two competencies, the Competent Children project will study numerous competencies (including early literacy, logical reasoning, communication skills, and social problem-solving) and end up with numerous sets of results because no one instrument to measure holistic learning holistically has been developed. It is not possible to offer high quality early childhood care and education without assessment; but, though difficult, assessment guidelines need to be worked on by early childhood educators. (Contains 11 references.) (RS)