To examine the consistency between children's home and day care experiences and the impact of home#shday care differences upon adult-child interactions, 36 preschoolers [mean age 42 months] were observed at home with mother and in full-time subsidized family day care. Discontinuities as well as continuities in interactions were observed. Open-ended interviews with family day care providers and mothers furnished further insights in perceptions of similarities and differences between the settings and speculation about possible impact on the children's development.