DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET “For over a decade Stacie Goffin has persuasively argued that leadership is needed within the field to transform it into a coherent, competent, and accountable pro- fession. In this guidebook she defines the hard questions and provides the tools for structuring conversations that will make that vision a reality.” —P aula J orde B loom , P h D, D istinguished P rofessor of R esearch and P ractice , F ounder , M c C ormick C enter for E arly C hildhood L eadership , N ational L ouis U niversity “Goffin’s book provocatively and insightfully sets the stage for ‘conversations with intent’ about what should define and unite early childhood education as a field of practice. The inclusion of early intervention and early childhood special education in these conversations is critical to ensure all children and each child as well as their families benefit from a competent and unified workforce. The conversations will not be easy, and the questions to be addressed are challenging. The guide- book Goffin has artfully crafted will help stimulate the forms of conversation as well as the collective actions needed to propel us from our present state to a new era—and a unified field of practice.” —P atricia S nyder , P h D, P rofessor and D avid L awrence J r E ndowed C hair in E arly C hildhood S tudies , U niversity of F lorida “In this book, Goffin taps the essence of leadership—the unwillingness to live with the status quo. She continues to compel us to face the reality of the ECE profession. She helps us accept that there are no sidelines in this work so not to bother looking for those seats. We must be ‘all in’ and thoughtfully engaged in ‘conversations with intent’ if our intention to professionalize ECE is to become a reality. Her strategies and recommended practices give us the courage to begin the journey, the tools to look inward to identify the challenges, and the belief that, if we embrace our fear and the uncertainty in this work, we can make this happen. We must be brave enough to leave the shore and trust the journey. Only we can make the journey, but the children are worth it.” —M argaret K reischer , E arly C hildhood E ducation P rogram C onsultant , C hild C are C oncepts and P ast C hair of the NAEYC A ffiliate C ouncil COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL