Updating the Administration for Children, Youth and Families' 1978 "Comparative Licensing Study," a study was conducted to provide a common framework for assessing state activities in critical child care licensing areas and to record the status of child care licensing as of March 1981 in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The updated, six-volume comparative licensing study improves the format of the original (e.g., gives greater prominence to group size and infant care) and contains detailed information on state laws and regulations dealing with family child care homes, group child care homes, and day care centers. The format consists of the following categories: (1) state licensing of child day care facilities; (2) licensing process and enforcement procedures; (3) administration; (4) group compositions of children; (5) staff qualifications and training requirements; (6) program of activities, including education; (7) health and safety; (8) nutrition and food services; (9) social services; (10) parent participation; (11) infants and toddlers; (12) children with handicapping conditions; (13) school age children; (14) facility requirements; and (15) other state requirements - compliance with other local, state, and regional laws and regulations. Volume 4 profiles requirements of day care centers in South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In some profiles, some categories are not detailed. (RH)