Ch.1 The changing ecology of Australian childhood -- Ch.2 Chasing ideologies in early childhood -- Ch.3 Practice and professionalism -- Ch.4 Accreditation : a right for all Australia's young children or a waste of time and money -- Ch.5 Ideological manoeuvering in early childhood educaiton -- Ch.6 Challenging changes in child care training -- Ch.7 Research in early childhood education -- Ch.8 How can early childhood services cater for the needs of Aboriginal communities? -- Ch.9 Men in early childhood services: why? Why not? -- Ch.10 Field experience in early childhood tertiary courses : making or breaking a professional image? -- Ch.11 Practical curriculum theory : describing, informing and improving early childhood practices -- Ch.12 From Piaget to Vygotsky : moving into a new era of early childhood education -- Ch.13 Early childhood grows up -- Ch.14 Dilemmas in early childhood teacher education