This paper focuses on approaches to assessment in early education and the consequences for assessment of national views about child development, the image of the child and outcomes for young children. It uses the New Zealand experience of assessment to argue that a sociocultural approach contributes to a curriculum that is open to contribution from children, families and community and enables teachers to draw on their funds of knowledge. Valued outcomes include learning dispositions and working theories that contribute to lifelong learning. New Zealand's experience suggests that such an approach can be supported by government policies that sustain a qualified and professionally supported early childhood workforce. (author abstract)