This case study used a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of three children starting child care, the adult who accompanied them to the center during the settling-in period, and one of the child caregivers. Data were collected by means of field notes, videotapes, interviews with the mother and teacher, journal entries by the mother or other adult at home and by teachers, and child care center documents and other parent materials. A striking finding of the study was the consistency with which the patterns of interactions the children established seemed to fit the expectations their teachers held about how the pattern would unfold. The stories each are structured around a key phrase that emerged from the data as capturing the central theme of their story: (1)"Coming to terms with separation"; (2) "Who looks after me here?"; and (3) "Latching on to Sam." The stories are further analyzed from a co-constructionist perspective, an attachment theory perspective, and a temperament theory perspective. It was concluded that the stories illustrate a connection between the children's experience of their interactions with adults and the way that adults understood their role during the settling-in process, that children attempted to form relationships with a preferred adult to fill the gap left by their mothers' absence, and that a system of assigning to a specific teacher responsibility for settling-in is a credible way of approaching the experience of starting child care. (Contains 39 references.) (KB)