Findings of the National Health Interview Survey on Child Health indicated that in 1988, a total of 13.3 million children 5 years of age and under were reported to be in some type of child care arrangement. Of these, 83 percent were children in families in which the mother was employed. The other 17 percent were in families in which the mother was not employed. In general, younger children tended to be in less formal care arrangements and older children were more likely to be in formal, organized group care situations. The data on the stability of care show that a substantial proportion of the children had experienced a change in child care arrangements during the preceding year. There is surprisingly little variation in the stabilty of child care arrangements for children of various ages. Characteristics of child care arrangements varied according to a number of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. These included race and ethnicity, region and place of residence, family income, and mother's education. Further analysis of these differentials by means of a multivariate approach, will increase knowledge of the factors that influence choices about types of child care arrangements. (RH)