Despite the crucial nature of their work, child care workers' job quality does not seem to be valued in today's economy. They are among the country's lowest-paid workers, and seldom receive job-based benefits such as health insurance and pensions. As with any other industry or occupation, paying decent wages and providing necessary benefits is essential to attract and retain the best workers. This paper directly examines child care workers' job quality, including how much they earn, whether they receive benefits on the job, and whether they and their families are able to make ends meet. (author abstract)