The purpose of this qualitative study was to propose a framework for the types of practices and ideologies that the most successful clinical-based, early childhood teacher education programs use to prepare their preservice teachers for the profession. Grounded theory methods guided the collection and analysis of data. Participants included preservice teachers and faculty members from three model universities. The researcher collected data from semistructured interviews, open-ended surveys, and university documents. Data analysis resulted in a framework that explains clinical practice across model early childhood teacher preparation programs. Findings suggest that seven layers of strength contribute to the programs' expertise in preparing their preservice teachers.