Ready or Not made its mark in 2007 by boldly calling for a field-wide response to the question: "What defines and bounds early care and education as a field of practice?" A dozen years later, this question remains pivotal to the field's understanding of its present and its aspirations for the future. In this updated and expanded edition, Goffin and Washington reunite to examine the major issues that must still be addressed if children are to be given more and better opportunities. This second edition will help everyone whose work impacts the ECE workforce, including those working directly with children, to deepen their commitment to adaptive and systems work and to develop the leadership capacity needed to become change agents. Ready or not, early childhood education needs to tackle its adaptive challenges. Nothing less will enable it to shift the field's developmental trajectory, fulfill its potential, and satisfy its obligations to children, families, and society.

New for the Second Edition:

• Analyzes what has transpired over the past 12 years and documents why the field's capacity to lead change remains in question.
• Assesses the extent to which the field has mobilized for field-wide adaptive change and what is still necessary to move forward.
• Positions the six defining questions within the field's contemporary context.
• Includes a totally new "prequel" and "sequel" on "What's Next" for the field, plus updated notes, references, and appendixes.