This paper, drawing on work with three integrated early years centres, designated as centres of excellence in the north of England, addresses issues arising from the evaluation of a government initiative in funding models of integrated services and good educare practice. Issues concerned with evaluation work and the difficulties in investigating cost effectiveness in a multi-level, large and complex evaluation programme are discussed with reference to recent research such as that by Simons (1996) and Pascal et al. (1999). The dilemmas of practitioners living with shifting professional identities are explored in relation to the development of "new" professionals working to an educare agenda (Thompson & Calder, 1998; Anning & Edwards, 1999). Ventures between external and internal evaluators involving collaborative action research are considered and related to issues of empowerment and the development of participatory methodologies. The voices of practitioners engaged in "victory narratives" heard through case studies are used to illustrate the vitality and reality of the challenges facing those involved in innovation in the centres.