In May 2010, the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) at Georgetown University released the monograph "Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems" (Leone & Weinberg, 2010). The monograph examined a number of topics relevant to the education and experiences of youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, as well as "crossover youth" who find themselves at some point in their lives involved with both systems. The monograph was designed primarily as a source of information for policymakers and practitioners interested in improving education services for these vulnerable youth. It examined challenges faced by these youth, barriers to providing effective services for them, and the policies and practices of several jurisdictions that have attempted to meet their unique needs. In partnership with CJJR, the National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk (NDTAC) is developing a series of practice guides that build on the monograph's principles and their respective practices by providing the field with concrete strategies for adopting those principles and practices. It is the hope of NDTAC and CJJR that these guides will provide administrators and practitioners in juvenile justice, child welfare, and beyond with the "how to's" they need to achieve the type of comprehensive system envisioned by the CJJR monograph. This NDTAC practice guide examines the principle that early learning is essential due to its potential to help young children avoid the "school to prison" and "cradle to prison" pipelines (Brody & Schwartz, 2012). It is important to engage schools and communities so that they understand the critical role they play in helping children "before" they become vulnerable to system involvement. To continue to reduce the number of youth involved with juvenile justice and child welfare systems, it is important that "all" who are engaged with youth become aware of the need for high-quality and continuous support, including those persons who serve very young children.