The Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes' (CEELO) mission is to strengthen the capacity of State Education Agencies and state Early Learning Agencies to lead sustained improvements in early learning opportunities and outcomes. These agencies have authority to establish and implement policies, administer funding and provide oversight for programs serving young children, depending on the state agency structure. Regardless of governance structure, strong leaders, highly capable staff, and effective and efficient functions within state agencies are critical to achieving the goal of enhanced early learning outcomes. There are generally three models of governance in early childhood: (1) coordinated governance across multiple state agencies; (2) consolidated functions within in one agency and a designated Office of Early Learning (OEL); and (3) creation of a new state agency focused on early childhood services. The goal of these offices is to create greater policy coherence and more efficient delivery of services. The intention of this paper is to describe a vision for an effective OEL, regardless of the "governance" structure. The authors reviewed the literature on leadership and organizational effectiveness, interviewed early childhood state and national leaders, and drew on their more than 30 years of experience in the field. This paper is a first step toward a deeper understanding of what it takes to be a highly effective office of early learning in state government that improves outcomes for children.