This article traces the history of Federal funding for child care and early educational programs in the United States, and examines how the values of American society have shaped governmental financial support for child care. The current child care financing system is merely a collection of funding streams. (SLD)

The primary share of child care costs in the United States is paid by parents, followed by funding from the Federal government and matching state expenditures. Fragmentation in service delivery and inequities in allotment of subsidies should be countered through integrated policies and through the linking of child care and early education goals.…