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Set within the context of current developments in educare for young children in the UK, the paper points to the importance of effectively monitoring such initiatives. However, it cautions that this should use collaborative methods and evaluations should relate fully to the aims of the provision, including those of the 'clients'. A case study of a needs analysis carried out in a childcare centre established as a cooperative venture by a womens group in Ireland is described. It demonstrates how 'professional' criteria, if applied too rigidly, can not only subvert the initial purposes of the development but also produce divisions within a group whose cohesiveness of purpose was previously the source of their strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]