Early childhood education (ECE) programs in the United States are experiencing paradigm shifts resulting from the standards-based movement. The notion that all children should be ready to learn when they enter school has resulted in ECE programs attempting to balance a standards-based curriculum with the child-centered approach to learning as part of quality early care and learning. While an association between quality early care and learning has been established by the rating system of the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS-3), the Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale (ITERS-R), and the Family Child Care Environmental Rating Scale (FCCERS-R), little is known about how classroom practices meet the developmental needs, interests, and abilities of young children based on children’s zone of proximal development (ZPD). This study aimed to explore toddler and preschool teachers’ and directors’ perceptions about quality early care and learning and determine what strategies are used to integrate children’s developmental needs, interests, and capabilities into classroom practices as part of the child-centered approach to learning. The study used a qualitative method of in-depth interviews and the collection of documents to answer the research questions. Results suggest that adherence to a standards-based curriculum with a teacher-centered approach seems to be at the expense of the constructivist approach to learning. (author abstract)