To determine if there are discernable effects on children of a group child-care program, the performance of 20 children, 3 to 4 years 10 months of age, who had been cared for in a day-care center from the age of 6 months is compared with that of 20 matched children with no prior day-care program experience. The 40 children participated in activities carried on in three program areas--an active area, an expressive area, and a task-oriented area. For an 8-months period, observations were obtained on all children on a point-time sampling basis; that is, during a set period of one minute, the observer noted the children's behavior in regard to (1) children's choice of locations in the program setting, (2) interaction with peers, and (3) interactions with adults. An analysis of variance was performed on the data. The findings of the study showed that (1) there were significant differences between children with prior child-care experience and those with no prior experience: children with prior experience were located in the active area more frequently; prior-experience children were located in the expressive area and in the task area less frequently; there was more verbal interaction with a peer by the prior-experience children and they also showed more positive peer interaction; (2) there were no significant differences between the two groups in regard to time spent in snack, invitational, or outdoor play areas; in gestural or tactile interaction; and in any dimension of adult interaction; and (3) there were sex differences on time spent in active and expressive areas and as recipients of social interaction. It is concluded that the stimulating early day-care programs had significant impact on the childrens' functioning and preferences. Tables and figures present the data. (DJ)