This essay reviews the history of and reasons for the federal government's reluctance to enforce standards for day care quality. It is argued that the federal government must at least assure that the day care it subsidizes is not detrimental to children. Several revisions in the existing federal standards and the mechanisms for enforcing them are suggested. First, the Federal Interagency Day Care Requirements (FIDCR) should be made more explicit, operationally definable, enforceable, and economically realistic. Second, to assure accountability, fiscal and monitoring review responsibilities should be based in a federal agency specifically committed to children and families. Third, federal, state and local agencies involved with day care must have resources to facilitate improvement and limit abuses. Finally, standards should allow for pluralism in providing day care in various settings, for various age groups, and by various types of providers. (Author/JMB)