The field of child care and early childhood has been viewed historically as __ampersandsignlsquo;women__ampersandsignrsquo;s work__ampersandsignrsquo; and shares the typical characteristics of low compensation, limited requirements, incoherent career ladder, and high turnover. The connection between women and children, rooted in biology, the sociology of the family, and the historical perceptions of men and women, perpetuates the idea that the care and early education of children belong to women. Furthermore, the conventional wisdom that by and large women naturally love and want to do and are able to care not only for their own children, but all children. This view describes the root of a pervasive problem, not just for persons in the child care and early education field, but also for the nation as a whole. At a time when the number of women, including mothers with young children, entering the labor market is expanding rapidly, the need for child care and early education programs in centers and homes is also growing. It is time to examine in more detail the underlying assumptions about child care and education as women__ampersandsignrsquo;s work and to emphasize the claim that such work is valuable, worthy and essential to the growth and development of children, to the health and stability of the family, and to the success and expansion of the nation__ampersandsignrsquo;s economy.