Dramatic shifts in early childhood policy in the US are increasing the bureaucratic nature of early childhood programs and influencing the field’s definition of professionalism. Despite the many benefits of professionalizing the child care field, the current trend toward formalization and standardization may have unintended negative consequences for parent–teacher partnerships, a key dimension of child care quality. This article employs an interdisciplinary lens to explore the conflict between family-centered practice and bureaucratic organizational systems, and suggests an alternative hybrid organizational model that transforms conventional notions of professionalism and bureaucracy. Effective partnerships with families in formal child care settings may depend on this ‘relational bureaucratic’ organizational context.
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