This article describes the development of a multifaceted evaluative strategy designed to assess
the effects of the offer of guaranteed subsidized child care on the subsequent attainment of
welfare independence and aggregate welfare expenditures for Aid to Families with Dependent
Children (AFDC) recipients with preschool-age children. The rationale for the evaluation
approach ultimately adopted proceeds from the recognition that multimethod, triangulated
research designs have the potential to be methodologically superior to single-method approaches. This description of the evaluation design, including a discussion of the presenting
issue and the evaluation context, is intended as a catalyst to social scientists to develop more
complex and multifaceted evaluation designs in social service research.
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