Today, nations throughout the world lack detailed information about the arrangements families make for the care or education of their pre-school aged children. The present volume addresses this problem by presenting information from Phase 1 of the IEA Preprimary Project, which conducted household surveys with representative samples of families with 4-year-olds in the following 11 countries: Belgium, the People's Republic of China, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Nigeria, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, and the United States. Using a jointly-developed 50-minute parent/guardian interview, researchers in each country collected information about what settings families choose for the care/education of their 4-year-old children, why families choose these particular settings, and what problems they encounter with the settings. Families were also asked how many out-of-home settings their child typically attends each week and how long the child spends in these settings. In addition, interviewers gathered data about the family background (e.g. parental education and occupation) and asked parents to describe their child's routine for a typical 24-hour period.

This volume of findings from the IEA Preprimary Project will be useful to early childhood professionals and researchers as well as to policymakers concerned with family and educational issues. One chapter presents information about group settings in various nations, including thier sponsorship, the auxiliary services they offer and the extent of home-setting communication. Since the study is cross-national, it is possible to examine each nation's findings within a broader context and thus perhaps see new options for program planning and operation.