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This report describes a conference convened by eight child care advocates to create a plan for funding child care services for California's families. Part one describes the participants of the summit, their role, and the assumptions of the summit. Part two details the following three models that were proposed for financing child care: (1) create a child care trust fund to support parental leave or early care and education for employed parents; (2) expand the mandate of public education to include early care and education; and (3) establish a child care allowance which supports purchased care and parental care in the home. All three funding models have the same aim of creating a steady and sufficient income stream to support child care services for all who need them. While the models are similar in their financing mechanisms and in articulating the necessity for a paradigm shift, they differ in the actual breadth of and extent of coverage each model provided, the priority given to different user groups, and the proposed models of administration. The last part of the report examines areas of research, analysis, and action arising from the proposed models. It suggests the need for strategies which build a statewide and ultimately national commitment to universal child care, research which examines the feasibility and cost of any proposed plan, and development of the broad outline of a California Child Care Plan. Appended to the report are the following seven appendices: (1) Methodology; (2) Agenda; (3) Average Annual Cost of Child Care; (4) Mind Map; (5) Summit Participants; (6) Other Funding Ideas; and (7) Research Needs. (BAC)

This paper summarizes theories of American family organization, points out social changes that have had an impact on family structure, and discusses implications of current social and political conditions for child care policy. It is suggested that monistic characterizations of the family, emphasizing self-sufficiency and only one kind of family structure, may be less viable than a pluralistic characterization that recognizes various co-occurring family structures that result from changes in the economy and in society. Several recent social changes that have altered family structures, including greater choice for women regarding childbearing and childspacing, more career opportunities for women, and inflation, are discussed. It is emphasized that for the first time in U.S. history, the typical school age child has a mother who works outside the home. Statistical data reflecting recent changes in the American family are seen as consistent with the theory of familistic plurality: the family is now characterized by (1) changing family structures, (2) less uniformity in child rearing environments, (3) a greater probability of dependence on extra-family supports, and (4) stress, especially on young single parent families. Enrollment statistics indicate that the majority of children with working mothers are in unlicensed informal child care arrangements. In conclusion, political implications of efforts to organize support systems for the transformed American family are pointed out. (Author/RH)