This report discusses women's need as parents for affordable, high-quality child care, and women's need as providers of child care services for compensation, training, and advancement opportunities that reflect the value of the important work they undertake. Regarding mothers' needs, the report provides a discussion of statistics on: (1) mothers working outside the home; (2) affordability of child care; (3) the need for high-quality child care; and (4) availability of child care. Regarding providers' needs, data are provided on the demography of child care workers, compensation, and turnover rate. The report concludes with recommendations regarding critical components of an effective child care policy, including the following: (1) help working families pay for child care; (2) provide full funding for Head Start; (3) keep children and youth safe and productive through better use of out-of-school time (school-age care); (4) protect the health and safety of children by improving the quality of their care and education; and (5) expand good care for infants and toddlers. (Contains 61 reference notes.) (EV)