In a European comparison, the childcare profession in Germany has taken a distinct path of development which is closely interwoven with the history of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in general. Institutional choices critical to this path are the assignment of childcare as part of social welfare, the pursuit of a maternalist tradition in the care of young children, the privileged position of voluntary associations and the churches in the provision of day-care services, and the decentralised governance of the sector with main responsibilities assigned to the level of the 16 Bundeslander. This inheritance also has shaped the development of the ECEC profession and impeded a course of development similar to other countries. Only over the last decade have new dynamics emerged in the field. There has been an enormous expansion of ECEC provision and, interrelated with it, an intensive debate on professionalisation. Starting from the recent debates and developments, the article outlines the specific path of development of the childcare profession in Germany. In doing so, it takes a closer look at particular historical trajectories and critical junctures. A core question is whether the present strategies to enhance professionalism in the field of ECEC indicate either a modest modernisation or a radical change of traditional concepts of the profession. (author abstract)