Sporadically, across the country, experimental day care centers for the very young child (eight weeks to three years of age) are coming into existence. Some authorities in the child development and child welfare field advocate this move because they believe that infant day care is the head start deprived children need; and that the present head start programs begin too late. Other people in the field think that day care for the young child can only be destructive to babies, because they will be given only "institutional care." They do not believe that small group care of young children can provide the baby with individual, consistent, warm mothering care that he needs for normal development. The pros and cons of day care for the young child are based on: a review of recent child development research; the evaluation and discussion of experimental day care programs in the United States; and, the author's experience in planning an infant day care center. This is followed with a discussion of various roles for social workers in the policy formation, funding and licensing area, as well as their vital function in the actual operation of a day care center for young children. (Author/CK)