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Data are presented to defend the theory that families use the kind of care which is available to them and affordable. Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) data on marital status, other adults in the home, hours the mother works, age of mother, region and city size (indicators of the availability of other care providers), in addition to socioeconomic variables and number of children (indicators of affordability), combine to differentiate users of care by father, grandmother, sibling, non-relative and center. Such variables also predict who pays for care and how much they pay. [45 PDF pages]