The proposed study applies developmental theory and research concerning parental beliefs, parental behaviors, and the environmental context of the family to the study of a major issue facing many families today, the need to search for and select safe, high quality child care for their infants. Although much research has examined the effects of infant child care on children's development, much less is known about why and how working women choose this care. Yet, this is an important research topic since the quality of care available varies widely, and since the quality of care is known to influence children's developmental outcomes. Ultimately, this project aims to provide information that will lead to the development of effective resources that will help parents make informed and thoughtful child care choices. Specifically, the proposed research will examine two types of Influences on working women's search for and selection of infant child care: maternal beliefs and environmental constraints. The maternal beliefs Include preferences for certain types of child care (e.g., family day care versus center day care), beliefs concerning important characteristics of care, beliefs concerning the effects of child care on infants and mothers, and attitudes towards maternal employment. The environmental constraints include income constraints, career goals, employment flexibility, availability of child care options, and availability of fathers to help search for care and to care for the infants. In addition, the effects of child care search behaviors on certain beliefs and perceptions of environmental constraints will be explored. The proposed investigation will seek to answer five main research questions: (a) how do maternal beliefs and environmental constraints influence a mother's decision to choose no day care rather than some type of non-parental care arrangement; (b) among mothers who have chosen to use a non-parental child care arrangement, to what extent are search behaviors influenced by mothers' beliefs.
