The Iowa Family Day Care Handbook is designed as an aid for persons entering the business of providing home day care as well as for those persons already in the field. Topics include advantages and disadvantages of family day care for children, parents and providers; getting started in family day care; and a list and description of records that should be kept in order to keep the business organized and successful. Preparing the home for family day care for the benefit of both the provider's family and the children in her care, and health, safety and first aid hints are also discussed. Several chapters are devoted to information about children with an emphasis on the individuality of each child. Sections on how children learn, year-by-year guidelines of skills, needs and learning experiences, ideas for learning activities for each age group, and aids in planning daily and weekly schedules are offered. Guiding and disciplining children is also discussed with sections focusing on rewards, redirection, and ideas for preventing inappropriate behavior. Community resources and how to locate them is the topic of the final chapter of the handbook. This section covers services for children, as well as educational and professional opportunities for providers. (Author/MP)