Search

Background of the Study. The child care problem in America is extreme, severe and probably not temporary. In our society almost six out of every one-hundred live babies are known to be out-of-wedlock with rates higher in many cities. Many times marriages are based on premarital pregnancy with the partners not really interested or capable of establishing permanent ties. Furthermore, a large proportion of our population is always on the move creating for themselves problems typical of the uprooted, away from family, relatives and primary group supports. In addition we are faced with the fact that nearly one-third of all women with children under eighteen years of age are in the labor market and that almost 400,000 children under twelve and 138,000 under ten years of age must care for themselves while their mothers work. Many of these children, with no one to become responsible for them become on many occasions the wards of public and private child caring agencies.