The need for an adequate financial base for the future of quality early care and education (ECE) for young children is being increasingly recognized. This document presents the proceedings for a 1999 working meeting of individuals from diverse fields to identify and explore possible actions related to financing ECE for children birth through 5 years of age. The document includes discussions of the growing recognition of the relation between quality ECE and developmental outcomes, ECE funding mechanisms, system and finance reforms to improve services for infants, universal preschool, and creation of a climate for increasing public investment in ECE. Also included is a list of action steps to initiate efforts to improve ECE financing. Five insights are identified as emerging from the meeting: (1) renewal and reenergized commitment to provide leadership; (2) a consensus around a set of statements which can serve as a foundation for future action; (3) acknowledgement that a strong research and policy base has been built over the last decade; (4) the lack of a single, simple approach to ECE financing; and (5) recognition of the need to acknowledge public values about caring for your children, to develop diverse constituencies, and to sharpen advocacy efforts. The document's five appendices contain the meeting agenda, a participant list, participants' proposals for next action steps in ECE financing, a 36-item bibliography of research relevant to ECE financing, and a list of state commissions supporting ECE financing. (KB)