Part I: Getting Started: Choosing Childcare 101.

Chapter 1: Getting a Bird’s-Eye View of What’s Involved.

Chapter 2: What’s on the Menu? Understanding Your Child-Care Options.

Chapter 3: Ages and Stages: Making Childcare Work for Your Child and Your Family.

Chapter 4: Adding Up Your Dollars and Sense.

Chapter 5: Playing Day-Care Detective: Investigating the Quality of Care.

Part II: Out-of-Home Childcare: Evaluating the Big Three.

Chapter 6: Evaluating a Day-Care Center.

Chapter 7: Sizing Up a Family Day Care.

Chapter 8: Figuring Out Where Nursery Schools and Preschools Fit In.

Part III: In-Home Childcare: Deciding Whether Nanny or Uncle Danny Can Do the Job.

Chapter 9: Searching for an In-Home Caregiver: Mary Poppins, Where Are You.

Chapter 10: All in the Family: Hiring a Relative to Do the Job.

Chapter 11: Me? An Employer?: Hiring Domestic Employees.

Part IV: Wanted: Part-Time and Occasional Childcare.

Chapter 12: When Plan A Fails: Having a Backup in Place.

Chapter 13: Not Workin’ 9 to 5: Childcare during Offbeat Hours.

Chapter 14: The Baby-Sitters’ Club: Finding a Teenage Sitter.

Part V: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 15: Ten Tips on Easing Your Child into a New Child-Care Arrangement.

Chapter 16: Ten Ways to Feel Connected to Your Child’s Day-Care “Family”.

Chapter 17: Ten Signs That Your Child-Care Arrangement Is in Trouble.

Chapter 18: Ten Child-Care Resources and Organizations.

Index.