This paper addresses a new approach to research of early childhood intervention programs in the United States that has taken place in the last decade. This approach emphasizes understanding the variable experiences that families have within the program and understanding the meaning that is attached to that experience. This involves assessing what actually happens when families participate in these intervention programs, assessing the relationships that interventionists form with families, and assessing the network of relationships within a program, including the program’s relationships to the evaluator. Each of these points lead to a general conclusion: given the many different entry points into the caregiving system available to programs and interventionists, examining the processes by which interventionists achieve outcomes is just as important as examining the outcomes themselves.