In this article, Ajay Chaudry and Heather Sandstrom review research on child care and early education for children under age three. They describe the array of early care and education arrangements families use for infants and toddlers; how these patterns have changed in recent decades; and differences by family socioeconomic status, race, and…

The past four decades have seen a rapid decline in marriage rates and a rapid increase in nonmarital births. These changes have had at least three worrisome effects on children. Scholars disagree about the magnitude of these effects, but surveys and other research evidence appear to definitively establish that the nation has more poverty, more…

Discusses the effects of poverty on children and current public policy toward child poverty, including areas of unmet need and recommendations for policies to meet the needs of poor children. The overall focus is on the potential to develop effective policies for children in poverty. (SLD)

Reviews programs for increasing earnings of parents with low market skills to prevent pretransfer poverty and discusses three types of income supplementation (public cash transfers, private child support payments, and tax credits) and how successful they are in reducing poverty. Also provides international comparisons of policies to reduce child…

L. Goldberg, T. W. Schultz, and M. Piel comment on proposed funding strategies for an allowance for child care for poor families, the creation of a parental leave policy to ensure infant care, and a plan to link public schooling and child care. The commentaries suggest proposal refinements or alternatives. (SLD)

The authors of proposals for a child care allowance for poor families, a parental leave program to ensure infant care, and a linkage of child care and public education systems respond to comments by three reviewers. The commentaries illustrate the diversity of perspectives on child care and the public sector. (SLD)