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This paper examines one aspect of child-care arrangements that has been largely ignored by previous research: that most day care is relatively temporary, changing often over the course of a few years. The data come from a four-year longitudinal study of a representative sample of New York City mothers of preschool children. The findings indicate that most mothers change care arrangements frequently. Substitution of group day care and multiple care arrangements for care by relatives was the most common pattern found. The paper discusses some of the implications of these frequent changes in day care for women's employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]