The 1989 defeat by voters in Fremont (California) of the nation's first measure to fund child care services at the local level provides valuable lessons for generating public support for child care services. Information was gathered from interviews with 23 city policymakers and administrators, from campaign materials, and from participant observation at related public meetings. Fremont is a new city, created in 1956, whose most frequently cited weakness is a lack of identity. Like most Americans, the voters of Fremont did not believe that they were responsible for the care of other people's children. The following issues raised by the child care campaign are discussed: (1) why senior citizens should pay for a program to benefit children; (2) how the measure helped stay-at-home mothers; (3) what benefits the entire community received from child care; (4) how opposition to the measure reflected attitudes toward family values and the use of vouchers; (5) how political factors prevented endorsement by community groups; and (6) how financial contributions reflected the limited range of the campaign. The following lessons are discussed: (1) conduct an attitude survey before placing a measure on the ballot; (2) win voter support by emphasizing the external benefits of the services; (3) consider senior citizen perspectives; (4) manage the campaign effectively; and (5) build coalitions of community support. A list of 30 references is appended. (FMW)