This booklet discusses the need for a comprehensive family-centered approach to day care. A hypothetical family situation is used to illustrate that present approaches to day care are not optimally functional because of the dichotomy existing between day care and family life. Historical origins of day care centers and significant changes in the concept of day care are reviewed. It is suggested that federal legislation on day care (e.g., child care tax deductions) is rarely evaluated for potential impact on impact on families. Two elements are suggested as necessary for the development of comprehensive, family-centered child care programs: (1) a broad concept of the role of parents as predominant in child rearing, and (2) new institutional arrangements and structures which enable parents to assume such a role. (BRT)