The results of a more than two-year operation of a new kind of day care service known as the Day Care Neighbor Service are presented and evaluated. This service makes it possible to intervene at the neighborhood level where families privately and without benefit of a social agency make day care arrangements with neighborhood "sitters" or caregivers. The approach is indirect and makes use of informal relationships to provide a service that is decentralized to the level of the neighborhood. The purpose of the service is to strengthen existing child care arrangements, recruit new day caregivers, and facilitate the information and referral processes by which new arrangements are made. Some facts gleaned from this study include: (1) The need for day care consists of a lack of facilities and problems in making arrangements; (2) The informal matchmaking system exists and should be left intact; (3) The feasibility and effectiveness of the service depend on the skill of the consultant in the use of consultation method; (4) The service is effective in stabilizing and improving the quality of private family day care arrangements; (5) The Day Care Neighbor Service has a unique applicability; and (6) The Day Care Neighbor Service is a program adjunct that can be attached to a variety of settings. (CK)