Currently there is a lack of affordable, accessible, quality child care in America. A substandard child care system not only negatively affects families, but also impacts broader societal and political issues, such as the economy, gender equity, tax and budget policies, and welfare reform. In this report, the authors propose two recommendations to help improve the quality of child care in the United States. First, they assert that an infrastructure that combines care and education must be built. One approach is to place educational components into the child care system. A more enduring approach is to place care into the educational system. Second, in order to have a successful child care system, it is first necessary to reframe the relationship between care and education. This effort can be mounted on several fronts, and can be carried out by changing the current terminology and constituency of child care and increasing parental and societal awareness of the components and benefits of quality care. Only when this happens, will the state of child care begin to improve. Without the help and commitment of informed adults, the needs of children will continue to be left unmet, having harmful consequences not only for the country's youngest citizens but also for the future of the nation and society. Commentaries in this issue of "Social Policy Report" include: (1) Better Child Care for All: What Will It Take? (Deborah A. Phillips); and (2) Combining Early Care and Education: Is Universal Pre-K the Best Way? (Janet Currie).