This paper provides portions of a workshop discussion at the Wheelock Conference on School-Age Child Care concerning the role of family day care for school-age children. The workshop participants included family day care providers affiliated with the day care system in the Greater Boston area, administrators of a family day care system which also operates a school-age day care program, and others working in the child care field who were especially interested in day care for school-age children. Issues discussed were: how well suited is the family day care home for the school-age child's growing need for autonomy and mobility? How much freedom can providers afford to allow an older child if they have their hands full with caregiving for preschoolers or babies as well as managing a household? What are the legal implications for a provider who may not be available to supervise an older child who is hurt in a playground accident or in a street fight with older children? Can a family day care home provide "creative programming" to meet the developing interests and skills of the older child? Participants concurred on several issues. Topics agreed upon included the following: the potential for nurturance that exists in a family day care setting; the importance of knowing the limits of one's ability to deal with special needs children; and the significant difference that the family day care home can make in the lives of children who experience stressful times in their development. (Author/MP)