| Summary: | A study was conducted to examine the influence of importance ratings of intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of child care on parents' choice of care. Results revealed that parents who value developmental characteristics of care choose center care instead of family day care and home care. Parents for whom hours, location, and cost of care are important are more likely than others to choose care at home. Choice of family day care increases if parents consider it important that the child know the caregiver, and these parents more often choose family day care compared with center care. Several key determinants, such as the mother's education level, influence child-care choice chiefly by increasing the importance that parents place on various characteristics of care.
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