This text clarifies for the first time what contemporary early childhood practitioners and leaders need to know in order to manage early childhood services in a professional way. With increasing pressure to provide high quality children’s services, standards of practice in administration, management and leadership are increasingly being scrutinised. Written for early childhood students and practitioners, the text explores leadership concepts in an integrated manner. Case studies and interviews with early childhood leaders provide insight into real-world challenges and daily demands. Reflective questions encourage a problem-solving approach, and a multitude of instructive tables and figures further enable readers to understand, analyse and implement possible solutions. National and international perspectives are effectively employed to present the child care practitioner as change agent, policy maker, advocate, quality assurance manager, conflict manager and futures oriented leader.