This pamphlet discusses issues related to the question of whether and how the federal government should finance prekindergarten public child care. Specifically, several policy statements are explored: (1) Financial apparatus should include input from federal, state, and local levels; (2) There should be local autonomy in management/implementation processes; (3) There should be maximum parental and community involvement in programs; (4) Existing schools and other facilities should be used, and staffing should include other personnel as well as unemployed teachers; and (5) Programs should maximize effectiveness while being child-centered. Other issues discussed are the costs of day care, evaluation of child care programs, student transportation, nutritional standards, licensing requirements, and the possible effects of encouraging women to work. Several current federal programs concerned with child care and child welfare are described, and many recommendations are made for administering a federal system of day care. These recommendations include creating a central agency to administer child welfare programs, providing funding through vouchers paid directly to parents, and organizing a loosely centralized network by dividing the United States into service areas within which would be created prime local sponsors to administer federal day care in a certain area. (CB)