Interest in early care and education (ECE), also referred to as an early childhood education, has escalated in recent years. The interest is bipartisan, as evidenced by the multiple ECE-related bills already introduced by the 113th Congress. Further, 39 states have implemented prekindergarten (pre-K) programs. In 2013, 27 governors mentioned ECE in their State of the State Addresses, and 15 of those proposed pre-K program expansion (Mead, 2013). Nationwide attention to ECE and pre-K programs increased significantly after President Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address when he announced plans to expand pre-K programs and take a step towards universal pre-K in all states. This announcement has caused skeptics and supporters alike to take a closer look at the necessity of pre-K programs and what role they play in a child's future success. Best practices for pre-K programs can be derived by analyzing ECE data and evaluating pre-existing pre-K programs. This brief will address those best practices and provide five necessary program areas for fostering a successful, high-quality ECE system. These include: (1) coordinated ECE governance; (2) standards alignment between ECE and K-12; (3) professional development needs; (4) ECE program assessments; and (5) coordinated longitudinal data systems (Barnett, 2013; Demma, 2010; Early Childhood Data Collaborative [ECDC]. 2010; ECDC, 2011; NAEYC, 2011; NGA, 2012).