Despite common moves in a number of countries to raise the quality and visibility of early childhood services (for example, through the introduction of curricular frameworks), both professionalisation policies and understandings of the professional role remain distinctly variegated across Europe and beyond. Whereas early childhood systems with separate childcare and education sectors tend to generate a differential and fragmented approach towards staffing and training and an inequitable division between sectors, conceptually and administratively integrated systems tend to opt for a core professional for work in all education and care services up to compulsory schooling (and sometimes beyond). The paper starts by outlining illustrative policy models and analysing associated chances and constraints in terms of the professionalisation project. In a second step, two high-profile developments in Germany are foregrounded in order to illustrate some of the changing demands on the professional role and the tensions and challenges arising from new sets of expectations. The contribution concludes with reflections on professionalism in the early childhood field. It is suggested that the concept of "democratic professionalism" may help us to situate the role of early childhood pedagogues within ever changing societal, economic and knowledge contexts. (Contains 1 footnote.)