Antarctica gathered in Ruschlikon, Switzerland, at the International Symposium on Early Childhood Education and Care for the 21st Century. The symposium's mission was to craft guidelines for programs that serve children under the age of formal schooling in countries throughout the world. After extensive discussions about what constitutes universal characteristics of good early education and care, working groups drafted statements that subsequently were combined, refined, and carefully edited. These efforts resulted in the joint publication of Global Guidelines for Early Childhood Education and Care in the 21st Century (hereafter referred to as the Global Guidelines) by ACEI and OMEP (2000). The Global Guidelines concisely describe basic, universal components of quality education and care for young children and, as a result, can be used worldwide. Following an overall statement of philosophy and goals, the Global Guidelines address six areas in providing comprehensive services for young children: Environment and Physical Space; Curriculum Content and Pedagogy; Early Childhood Educators and Caregivers; Partnership With Families and Communities; Young Children With Special Needs; and Accountability, Supervision, and Management.