This policy brief provides guidelines grouped into five areas: personal and professional behavior; classroom environment; health, safety and nutrition; working with families and communities; and administration and management. The document discusses the topics that teacher competencies generally cover, options for how they might be developed and structured in California, and examples of major efforts by national organizations and other states. National and state early childhood teacher competencies are compared in tabular and textual form using the following categories: (1) National Board of Professional Teaching Standards; (2) Understanding Young Children; (3) Equity, Fairness and Diversity; (4) Assessment; (5) Promoting Child Development and Learning; (6) Knowledge of Integrated Curriculum; (7) Multiple Teaching Strategies for Meaningful Learning; (8) Family and Community Partnerships; (9) Professional Partnerships; and (10) Reflective Practice. It is concluded that the process of developing early childhood teacher competencies can be a complex and lengthy one, but it also has great potential in bringing greater simplicity and clarity to a highly fragmented and confusing professional development system. [This brief was produced by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment.]