Parents in the labor force face numerous decisions when balancing their work and home life, including choosing the type of care to provide for their children while they work. Deciding which child care arrangement to use has become an increasingly important family issue as maternal employment has become the norm, rather than the exception. Child care arrangements and their costs are important issues for parents, relatives, care providers, policy makers, and anyone concerned about children. This report, which is part of a series that dates back to 1985, shows the numbers and characteristics of children in different types of child care arrangements in the spring of 2005 and the summer of 2006.