This manual, which presents the principles and steps involved in the two-year Citizen Involvement for Day Care Quality Project in Massachusetts, serves as a guide for developing a citizen network to address the need for quality day care. The Project was housed by the Office for Children (OFC), the state agency which licenses and monitors all day care facilities in Massachusetts, and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth, and Families. Each chapter describes a component of the Project, including an overview of its beginnings and accomplishments. Then key principles and specific tips are extrapolated. These tips can apply to other contexts, such as volunteer recruitment and training, skill building, designing written materials, conflict resolution, designing and running successful meetings, and coalition building. Throughout the manual case examples illustrating technical skills and theoretical principles are introduced to show the complexity of the issues. In addition, users are encouraged to apply the techniques and principles to other issues and situations unique to day care needs in other states and communities. Specific chapters cover: the day care system in Massachusetts and its state agencies; citizen action: basic principles and strategies of the project; recruitment; improving day care quality; employer-supported day care; revising state standards; lobbying and policymaking; computerized resource services; project evaluation; and resources for evaluation of day care centers. (DST)