This project uses secondary data analysis of data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study- Birth Cohort to analyze the relations among child, family, employment and program characteristics and parent choice. The research questions include: What are the most common eco-cultural profiles of parental preferences, attitudes towards maternal employment and beliefs about raising children; (2) Are parents in specific "ecological niches" more likely to hold these profiles?; (3) What is the relation between parental preference profiles and child care utilization patterns (type of care, hours of care and quality of care used)?; (4) How do opportunities and constraints shape child care utilization patterns, given parental preferences, attitudes and beliefs?; (5) Do the relations among parental preferences, opportunities and constraints, and child care utilization vary for specific subpopulations of: [a] low-income working families at risk of needing TANF benefits, [b] language, ethnic and racial minority families and children, and [c] families with infants and toddlers?