Professional learning communities are receiving increasing attention within the schooling sector but empirical research into their development and use within early childhood education contexts is rare. This paper reports initial findings of an exploratory study into the development of professional learning communities in New Zealand's early childhood sector. The study found that the characteristics of effective school-based professional learning communities are also applicable to early childhood settings, and that development of supportive structural and relational conditions is required if the promise of professional learning communities evident in the schooling sector is to be achieved in early childhood education. (author abstract)