This article shares a personal story of the evolution of professional development in practice in K-12 schools from three states over a 30 year period. The article begins with reference to general subject area life awarded teaching credentials and concludes with the addition of language addressing prekindergarten, specifically the inclusion of younger children in state educational priorities in the early drafts of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It suggests that as professional standards and credentials become more well-defined in the early childhood profession, the value and status of the early childhood profession as a whole will be raised.