Using data from the National Child Care Survey, 1990 and its low-income supplement, this report examines the care arrangements of 12 million children under age 13 in 6 million families with annual incomes below $15,000. Three fundamental issues are explored: (1) how low-income children are regularly cared for; (2) how much low-income families spend on child care; and (3) the preferences of low-income parents in caring for their children.