Whilst it is possible to construct early childhood education and care (ECEC) in multiple ways, this article focuses on constructions of ECEC that have emerged within nationalist discourses privileged in advanced Western countries today, that is, ECEC as "national work". Although these constructs are problematic and thus subject to criticism, the author shows that, historically, positioning ECEC as being of national benefit proved a powerful strategy for the early advocates of ECEC in New South Wales, Australia. The author argues that, despite their problematic nature, contemporary advocates of universal ECEC should strategically use nationalist and economic discourses.