This report examines the consequences, particularly for Black children, of the trend toward lodging preschool care in urban public schools. The report also calls for discussion and debate about whether the public school system can develop the skills and techniques necessary to nurture Black preschool children. In recent years Black parents have had difficulty finding quality child care for several reasons, including the following: the loss of the traditional family support system; the declining income of Black families; decreased federal support for child care; church-based child care facility closings; and sky-rocketing liability insurance costs in child care centers. Although housing child care in the public schools may seem an attractive alternative, any national policy discussion of child care must be based on the premise of a responsible, quality-oriented and culturally sensitive system and public school-based child care must be analyzed to answer the questions raised. Finally, components that must be included in public school based programs for young children are delineated and action steps are recommended both for workers in the child advocacy field and for targeted segments of the black community. (DST)