The NOW (New Opportunities for Women) is a European Union initiative aimed at facilitating the greater participation of women in the labour market. The NOW programme commenced in Ireland in 1992. This report assesses the approaches taken by the eight NOW projects over two years and the contributions they have made to the ever-growing demand for effective childcare services in Ireland. The report also outlines a number of policy and programme implications which have arisen from the NOW initiatives, and makes several recommendations to remove obstacles or impediments that projects have faced in the past.