Iheoma Iruka is founding director of the Equity Research Action Coalition at Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and research professor of public policy at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her work focuses on supporting the optimal development of children from low-wealth and marginalized communities and ensuring excellence for young diverse learners, especially Black children and their families, through the intersection of research, programs, and policy. This article presents an interview with Iheoma Iruka with her views on how early learning and k-12 go hand in hand.