Designed to spark an interchange of ideas, this book presents early childhood education as a nuanced, shifting, and complex field. Readers will bear witness to several decades of the lived experiences of influential leaders engaged in conversation about seven major topics: systems of early care and education, diversity and children's rights, developmentally appropriate practice, perspectives on play, curriculum and pedagogy, the care of infants and toddlers, and families and family engagement. Each chapter is accompanied by a "Reflections" essay from one of the volume editors that includes important source material and theoretical and research perspectives. Readers are invited to reflect thoughtfully on each topic to construct their own understanding of where the field has been and why it matters. Contributors reveal how they have been shaped by societal values and events, as well as how they have helped to shape the field as we know it. These reflective dialogues help readers develop greater understanding of the past and its influence on the present, while preparing readers to make decisions throughout their careers about what matters and why it is important to young children and their families. Book Features: (1) Examines recent history in early childhood education via conversations that are forward-thinking and backward-reflecting; (2) Illustrates how time and place have impacted ideology and practice in early childhood education in the United States; (3) Offers new perspectives and creates new understandings through the experiences of well-known leaders in the field; and (4) Encourages readers to reflect on the past, present, and future of the field and reclaim its practice in an era that threatens standardization and technocracy. [Foreword by Diane M. Horm.]