This study evaluated the teaching methods of 11 day care teachers and caregivers at a university-sponsored center to determine if: (1) the teachers used different strategies for same-age and mixed-age groups of children; (2) there are differences in strategies used by less- and more-experienced teachers; and (3) teachers used specific strategies to enhance the social and intellectual development of children in mixed-age groups. Through ethnographic interviews and observations, it was determined that teachers preferred mixed-age groups: they considered planning for mixed age groups to be more open-ended than planning for same-age groups. Staff who were more experienced used strategies to enhance social and intellectual development more often than less experienced staff. Some teachers tended to focus on specific skills rather than intellectual and social abilities with mixed-age groups, and teachers' life experiences had an impact on how they felt about mixed-age grouping. (An appendix contains a list of teaching strategies for maximizing the benefits of mixed-age grouping.) (MDM)