Adapted from a speech given at the 1985 conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, this discussion addresses issues concerning the formation of a national child care policy and describes factors contributing to "child carelessness" in the conception and delivery of child care services. (KS)

This monograph (developed along with an accompanying slide presentation) is designed to stimulate the creative thinking of educational policymakers in response to the massive and rapid social upheavals occurring in the economy and at home--and consequently among the students themselves. After a brief introductory overview of these changes and…