Abstract
If you're an early childhood education professional in Aotearoa, you've likely felt the pressure of evaluations that don’t quite fit the reality of your day-to-day work. This commentary cuts through the outdated internal versus external evaluation debate and shows why the current system isn't keeping up with the complexity of today’s early childhood education environment. The article highlights why current approaches can fall short and argues for evaluation approaches that are useful, empowering, and grounded in practice and culture.