The call to improve high-quality educational opportunities for children ages birth--eight has received increased attention and federal and local funding opportunities have expanded to provide additional early childhood classrooms and to implement family engagement practices. Unfortunately, systems of support for principals aimed at increasing knowledge and skills necessary to lead an aligned Preschool -- third-grade system within an elementary school remain relatively sparse. The purpose of this study is to examine the alignment between an early childhood endorsement program and early childhood leadership competencies. This study will examine the perceptions of school leaders participating in an early childhood endorsement program regarding endorsement program alignment with leadership competencies and practices.A document analysis will be completed to identify the levels of alignment between early childhood endorsement course content and early childhood leadership competencies. In addition, endorsement program participants will be asked to complete a self-reflection addressing specific strategies, related to the early childhood leadership competencies, to determine if the competencies were addressed directly, indirectly, or not addressed throughout the endorsement program. Finally, two groups of leaders in early childhood, PreK-3rd grade, settings will be asked to complete a self-assessment rating demonstrating how evident specific early childhood leadership practices are in the practices they perform as a school leader. The data collected will help determine if participation in early childhood endorsement programs can be used to develop early childhood leadership skills of administrators in early childhood settings. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]