The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) convened its Task Force on Early Childhood Education in the larger context of educational reform of the 1980s, which was characterized by two competing perspectives. One focused on state-mandated testing and increased graduation requirements, in response to the alarm sounded by the publication in 1983 of "A Nation at Risk." The second saw this press for increased standards and accountability as overshadowing the developmental needs of the youngest children and skewing curriculum in inappropriate ways. This article discusses how the NASBE task force on early childhood education remains relevant 30 years later.