A study of the influence of family socioeconomic status, parental beliefs, and differences between single and two parent families on child care selection. The study identifies the timing and sequence of care over children's first three years of life, and examines the following issues: (1) whether and when children enter care of different types (e.g., relative care vs. family day care) and intensity (e.g., part- versus full-time); (2) the sequence of arrangements over the first three years; (3) how time-variant (e.g., income, parenting beliefs) and time-invariant (e.g., ethnicity) family characteristics affect child care decisions; and (4) whether these effects vary by child age.