In 2009, the Coalition for Community Schools at the Institute for Educational Leadership (CCS-IEL) embarked on an ambitious action research and development project, leveraging the community school system infrastructure present in three geographic regions (Tulsa, Oklahoma; Multnomah County, Oregon; Albuquerque, New Mexico) to advance research and practice around a preK-3 approach that includes strategic partnerships between the elementary community school sector and early childhood sector. The Early Childhood and Community School Linkages Project (the Linkages Project) was guided by the premise that regions with relatively mature community school initiatives were uniquely positioned to incorporate a range of alignment practices known to smooth children's transition from the early years into the early grades. After three years of implementation and the completion of a formal implementation study of the Linkages Project, CCS-IEL and the Gardner Center are poised to advance an evidence-based theory of change for early childhood and community school linkages. The theory of change assumes an integrated tri-level approach, attending to changes in three dimensions: (1) Settings (classrooms, schools, early childhood centers); (2) Systems (cross-sector collaboratives, school districts, geographic regions); and (3) Individuals (children and families). The implementation study identified a number of practices that improved linkages at the setting, system, and individual levels, including: (1) Cultivating shared responsibility for smooth and effective linkages; (2) Starting where it makes sense in your local context; (3) Cultivating leaders with authority, expertise, and commitment to sustain and scale linkages; and (4) Promoting community school development. The report discusses system-level practices and outcomes, continues with the setting-level, and concludes with practices that were designed to provide direct support to children and families and short-term outcomes associated with those practices.