The central thesis of this book is that early care and education in the United States must be restructured to support children's learning and behavioral development from birth to school entry, in the context of families' work, economic, and caregiving realities. There is a huge gulf between the system we have today and one that will allow children to realize their full potential and provide the nation with the educated population it needs to achieve a more prosperous and secure future. We propose an integrated set of national and state policies that can support families in nurturing their children's learning and development to promote not only the children's long-term success but also our nation's. (author abstract)