Discusses study findings of the "Cost, Quality, and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers" that support the position that efforts of center directors to provide quality childcare services are often undermined by purchasing practices of parents and public agencies. (DR)

Delineates significant developments in the employer- sponsored child care arena. Highlights predictions from chief executive officers of the largest employer child care organizations for the most significant trends in employer child care: slowing growth, consolidation, increasing demands for back-up care, globalization, and multi-site strategies.…

Cites recently completed child care supply and demand studies showing 400 percent growth rate in center care in past two decades, with more children enrolled in centers than in any other form of nonparental child care. Data on trends, usage by age, forms of care used, types of centers used, and a profile of centers are provided in tables. (LB)