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The sixteen chapters in this volume are grouped under five headings on the connections between day care and: (1) developmental considerations; (2) the relationship between parents and child care providers; (3) pediatric issues; (4) child abuse; and (5) national policy. The individual chapters are written by clinicians and researchers with substantial experience in their respective fields. The breadth of the approach adopted by the editor makes this a valuable book, especially for those not immersed in day care issues. It illustrates very clearly how complex many of the issues are, ranging from national social policy to concerns about the individual child, parent, and day care provider.
Edward Zigler and Sarah Freedman, in the opening chapter, document the crisis in child care in this country, including the lack of a national public policy based on developmentally sound practices, the high cost of good quality day care, and its unavailability in many communities at any price. The harm done to the development of infants and young children who are in day care of poor quality appears clear. There are excellent brief descriptions of current types of day care and a plan for developmentally sound practice. Zigler and Freedman believe that the problems are not insoluble in spite of their magnitude. The importance of a parental leave policy as an alternative to infant day care is outlined. The authors also advocate that the "school of the 21st century" be created as a return to the concept of community school serving as a local center for all the social services required by the neighborhood, including day care. They note that a number of demonstration schools are now in operation.
Carolee Howes summarizes current research on early child care,