Using data from the 1984 (sixth wave) survey of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this report describes the household structure and parental characteristics of about 4,400 children born to a national cross-section of American mothers 19 to 27 years of age. About 80 percent of the children were under 6 years of age and most of the rest were between 6 and 9 years old. The children were representative of the first 30 percent of all children born to a typical contemporary cohort of American women entering the childbearing years. In addition, the homes of the school-aged children were typical of the homes of younger elementary school students with adolescent mothers. The homes of subjects below school age were considered representative of the homes of a normal cross-section of children whose mothers were between 18 and 25 years old. Parental household structure was described in terms of father's presence or absence; relationships between household structure, employment, and poverty status; employment of selected household members; maternal employment; child care utilization; and poverty status. Patterns of contact with the father among children with absent fathers were described, along with characteristics of the 5 percent of children living with their fathers but not with mothers. (RH)