To ensure that all children will have a certain equality of education and will achieve academically, many nations have developed national curriculum standards. This article begins with a discussion of the potential benefits and disadvantages of curriculum standards in the field of early childhood education. As curriculum for young children must hold deep personal meaning, be of interest to children, age appropriate, first-hand, and value diversity and inclusion, the usefulness of national standards for early childhood educators is questioned. The article concludes with suggestions for how educators might meld the intent of national standards with the rights of young children in every nation to experience an emergent, meaningful curriculum.