A study was conducted to critically assess the developmental conditions of 187 children (ages 1 month to 6 years) in eight creches (day nurseries) located in and around Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. Data were collected through informal interviews of day care staff and from 20 hours of direct observations of day care units. Findings indicated inadequate physical structures, lack of structured activities, untrained staff, and poor caretaker/child ratios. Six creches had poorly qualified and underpaid teachers who supervised organized "school-like" activities for the older groups. Language development seemed inhibited in younger children, but older children were more verbal. Nutritional data indicated a significant excess of children with low height for age, a fact suggesting past malnutrition. Physical and mental development data were incomplete, but there were no apparent behavioral disturbances in spite of deprived conditions. It was emphasized that children learned to be passive, obedient, and helpless and had greater chances of developing negative self-concepts. (BJD)