One of the goals of the America 2000 initiative is that by the year 2000, all children in the United States will start school ready to learn. Child care will play a major role in the achievement of this goal due to the fact that nearly half of all preschool children spend a significant portion of time in child care settings outside of the home. Diversity in child care settings is important, because the needs of families rarely fit neatly within the boundaries of any one program. Resource and referral agencies play a vital role in helping parents make informed choices from their many options. Responsibility for most child care programs in the Department of Health and Human Services rests with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). ACF is directly responsible for: (1) child care assistance associated with job opportunities and basic skills training; (2) transitional child care for Aid to Families with Dependent Children recipients; (3) care that supports low-income working parents for at-risk children; (4) the Child Care and Development Block Grant; (5) social services block grants; (6) child welfare services that support state child care programs; (7) dependent care planning and development programs; and (8) Head Start. Through such programs, ACF helps families afford child care; helps increase the availability of child care; sets standards to ensure the health and safety of children in child care settings; and helps families make informed choices through consumer information and resource and referral efforts. (AC)