Having worked in the early childhood field for over three decades, the author has seen a lot of changes: The supply of child care services has increased ten-fold and the public respect for early childhood services has risen nearly as much. Despite these changes, certain challenges for these field have not been successfully addressed: Compensation for early childhood professionals are still embarrassingly low and the quality of care offered in centers and family child care homes still ranges from most excellent to most awful. Over the years there have been many developments which have helped chip away at these challenges: (1) Center accreditation has given programs targets to achieve in showcasing the quality of their program; (2) resource and referral agencies are working to upgrade the early childhood infrastructures of communities across the country; and (3) the field continues to attract committed and creative individuals who work tirelessly to provide great environments for children and families. But the challenges of compensation and quality remain. This article presents four developments or innovative ideas that gives the author hope that real progress can be made. These are: (1) quality rating systems; (2) shared services systems; (3) community development financial institutions; and (4) comprehensive neighborhood centers.