With most 4 year olds in the United States now in center-based early care, the need for aligning instruction from preschool through the early grades (PK-3) has become more pressing. Yet so far there has been little guidance on how to create alignment. Research on PK-3 alignment seeks to provide general principles for creating instructional continuity that sustains and enhances student learning. This brief summarizes a longer report "PK-3: What Does it Mean for Instruction?" (Deborah Stipek, Judy Koch, Doug Clements, Cynthia Coburn, Megan Franke, Dale Farran, Antonio Gotto, Anita Gotto) which proposes a concept of productive continuity in academic instruction, as well as in the social climate and classroom management practices that might affect children's social-emotional development. It also considers ways in which schools might seek to achieve continuity in parents' and children's experiences. Finally, the report proposes specific state and district policies and school practices that are likely to promote continuous and meaningful learning experiences. [For the full report see ED581657.]