In her provocative new book, Stacie Goffin presents a leadership manifesto for the field of early care and education. With an action-oriented frame of reference, she offers a unique point of view on efforts to improve programme quality and developmental and learning outcomes for children. The book calls for the ECE field to step forward as agents for change by: (1) Assuming responsibility for the competent practice of its practitioners and for facilitating positive results for children and their learning. (2) Formally organising as a profession to realize consistency in practice across sites and program types. (3) Diminishing its reliance on public policy for defining its purpose and structure. The text concludes with “Next Steps Commentaries” written by education luminaires Rolf Grafwallner, Jacqueline Jones, and Pamela J. Winton outlining concrete steps for action that will jump-start a conversation about moving forward with the ideas presented in the book. ECE for a New Era builds on and extends the conversation started in Goffin’s critically acclaimed book co-authored with Valora Washington, Ready or Not: Leadership Choices in Early Care and Education.
