Set Up to Fail draws on academic and policy research, as well as interviews with workers, to describe the strain that low-wage working parents experience as they try to keep their families afloat and meet their responsibilities at home and at work. It begins with a description of the demographics of the low-wage workforce, and highlights job conditions that significantly, and detrimentally, affect low-wage working parents. The report then considers the impact of those job conditions on children's health, development, behavior, and school readiness. It subsequently examines the barriers that often keep low-wage working parents from accessing the early care and education experiences for their children that would improve children's outcomes, and the education and training opportunities that would improve their own job prospects. It concludes by identifying areas in which policies and strategies to overcome these barriers are needed. The report lays the groundwork for the next phase of this project, which will result in an agenda for change to address the challenges faced by low-wage working parents and help them provide a better life for their children. (author abstract)