Discussions of early childhood care and education usually focus on its social and educational value, and how it helps children and families. More recently, the focus in many states, including Wisconsin, has been on potential investments in child care quality improvements as strategies for improving long-term educational outcomes for disadvantaged…

The purposes of this working paper are to analyze the changes in the family which necessitate substantial out-of-home care for Wisconsin's preschool and school-age children, and to propose a plan for action promoting high quality child care in the 1980s for these children. Section I documents changes affecting the family over the last thirty…