ABSTRACT
American approaches to child rearing reflect our beliefs in individual responsibility, upward mobility for those who study hard, and the ability of volunteers and neighbors to supplement family efforts. The federal government provides much of the funding for meeting the needs of low-income children. It also funds extensive research, technical assistance materials and training for states, local governments, and others on a variety of issues affecting children. Two-thirds of mothers with preschool children and almost 80 percent of those with children age six to thirteen are in the labor force. Today even the majority of married mothers work outside the home. Children need a variety of positive adult role models to provide them exposure to people of different ages, racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. They need to understand that people working in "menial occupations" are decent, good citizens performing jobs necessary for a community to function.
