Research in Bahrain has demonstrated that children in educationally-oriented day care centers made significantly greater gains in cognitive, social, and emotional measures than children in care-oriented centers or at home. This study provided further data and addressed the question of whether there are differences in the daily learning experiences of children who attended the centers where higher gains were found. The behaviors of children and staff in both educationally-oriented and care-oriented preschool settings in Bahrain were observed, using the time-sampling technique, Target Child Observation Manual (TCCM). A total of 2,400 1-minute observations were recorded of 120 children randomly selected from 10 preschool centers. The findings showed that children in educationally-oriented settings were more actively involved in learning, had longer concentration spans, and initiated more interaction, and staff engaged in more facilitating types of dialogue when compared with staff at care-centered settings. In care-oriented preschools children spent more time in large groups and engaged in more child-to-child speech at the expense of adult-child dialogue. (Contains 81 references.) (Author/BGC)