The Nation - News from Nov. 30, 1986

About 2,500 companies in the United States offered day-care information, programs or financial help last year, up steadily from 110 in 1978, 600 in 1982 and 1,850 in 1984, the Council on Economic Priorities reported in a study. But, the public interest research group noted, the level of aid remains low, considering that there are 44,000 companies in the United States with more than 100 employees. Moreover, while corporate involvement has risen, council researcher Steven D. Lydenberg wrote in the six-page report, 29 state governments are spending less to assist child-care programs this year than they spent in 1981, when adjusted for inflation.