This ethnographic study investigated informal and unregulated child care in a white, ethnic, working class community in a Northeastern city, which is identified by the pseudonym "East Urban." The study includes stories about families of second and third generation descendants of mainly Italian immigrants who live in the close-knit communities where they were born. During 7 months of fieldwork, 50 formal interviews were completed with community representatives, parents, and caregivers; 25 were tape-recorded. Interviews were transcribed, summarized, and entered into a computerized, text-based data management system. Notes on unrecorded interviews and field observations were also entered into the system. Each section of data was indexed according to categories of content and the characteristics of the informant. The study revealed that even in this very traditional group, sole reliance on relatives and neighbors for child care is no longer realistic. Although informal and unregulated arrangements can be of good quality, the supply is no longer adequate. The study concludes that any national policy must respect the cultural settings in which people make choices about their children. Only by building policies that respect the cultural fabric of local communities can the quest for an effective national policy succeed. (RH)