Early childhood care and education settings offer an opportunity to provide children with a solid beginning in all areas of their development. The quality and efficacy of these settings depend largely on the individuals within the Early childhood care and education workforce and caregivers in order to tackle the persistent challenges facing this workforce. The National Research Council hosted a workshop to describe the Early childhood care and education workforce and outline its parameters. Speakers explored issues in defining and describing the workforce, the marketplace of Early childhood care and education.