Why the United States has failed to establish a comprehensive high-quality child care programme is the question at the centre of this book. Edward Zigler has been intimately involved in this issue since the 1970s, and here he presents a firsthand history of the policy making and politics surrounding this important debate. Good-quality child care supports cognitive, social, and emotional development, school readiness, and academic achievement. This book examines the history of child care policy since 1969, including the inside story of America's one great attempt to create a comprehensive system of child care, its failure, and the lack of subsequent progress. Identifying specific issues that persist today, Zigler and his coauthors conclude with an agenda designed to lead us successfully toward quality care for America's children.

Edward Zigler is Sterling Professor of Psychology Emeritus at Yale University and director emeritus of the Yale Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy. Katherine Marsland is associate professor of psychology at Southern Connecticut State University. Heather Lord is a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in New York.

"Throughout his career, Ed Zigler has worked to get to 'yes' on universal child care. Here, he presents a compelling vision for how research can inform child care policy, offering a workable hybrid solution as a way forward."--Kathleen McCartney, Dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education--Kathleen McCartney