This dissertation provides a case study of the daily experiences of children and teachers in a nonprofit day care center. Located in a middle class suburb of a midwestern metropolitan area, the center serves 54 three- and four-year-olds of varied economic and racial background (20% of the children are black; family incomes range from below $8,000 to $40,000 per annum). Focusing on the orientation of four day care teachers toward children's individual and social experiences, the discussion gives specific attention to teachers' arrangement of environments, teachers' interactions with each other, and children's actions that teachers allow or encourage. It is argued that day care centers in their daily operations actually emphasize individual more than social or collectivist values and experiences. Chapter One describes the conceptualization of the research problem, the origin of the study, and the rationale for implementing the study. Chapters Two, Three, and Four depict at a micro-level how four day care teachers' actions tend to emphasize individual experiences more than social experiences. Chapter Five examines the broader structural context of this field study in order to reflect on how the research findings relate to America's tradition of individualism. Chapter Six concludes by focusing on implications for day care practice that might help promote a balance between individual and social learning for young children. Related materials are appended. (RH)