PROVIDING QUALITY CHILD DAY-CARE IN A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUNG MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN

This study examined the quality of center-based child day care provided as a part of New Chance, a nationwide program serving teenage mothers on welfare and their children. Assessments of quality were based on researcher's observations and surveys completed by center directors. The data show the feasibility of supplying good quality center-based child day care as a part of a program of this kind. The disparity, however, between the good quality of child day care services found in the New Chance program and the highest level of quality found nationally raises questions about whether the care can actually enhance the development of children seriously at risk.