This report summarizes the deliberations of the first two workshops (the appendix contains the agendas for the two workshops), which focused on what we know from research and from the vantage point of service delivery about the current status of child care for low-income fami lies. A companion report summarizes the discussion of research priorities for the future (the focus of the third workshop).

Contents

• STEERING COMMITTEE ON CHILD CARE WORKSHOPS
• BOARD ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
• Preface
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Choices or Constraints? Factors Affecting Patterns of Child Care Use Among Low-Income Families
  • THE ISSUE IN BRIEF
  • SUMMARY OF RESEARCH PRESENTED
• 3. Child Care and Children's Development: Safety, Quality, and Continuity
  • THE ISSUE IN BRIEF
  • SUMMARY OF RESEARCH PRESENTED
• 4. Child Care and Economic Self-Sufficiency
  • THE ISSUE IN BRIEF
  • SUMMARY OF RESEARCH PRESENTED
• 5. The Structure and Consequences of Child Care Subsidies
  • THE ISSUE IN BRIEF
  • SUMMARY OF RESEARCH PRESENTED
• 6. Cross-Cutting Conclusions from the Knowledge Base
• References
• APPENDIX WORKSHOP AGENDAS
• OTHER REPORTS FROM THE BOARD ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Support for this project was provided by the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ford Foundation.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Harold Liebowitz is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Harold Liebowitz are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.