TO IMPROVE THE DEVELOPMENTAL RATE OF CULTURALLY DEPRIVED CHILDREN, A PRESCHOOL PROGRAM WAS OFFERED WHICH CONSISTED OF A PLANNED SEQUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULATION BASED ON THE THEORY THAT COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS THROUGH MOTOR-PERCEPTUAL-SYMBOLIC PHASES. SEVENTY-TWO DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE MATCHED GROUPS. GROUP A WAS EXPOSED TO AN EXPERIMENTAL "LEARNING TO LEARN" PROGRAM DEVELOPED BY HERBERT SPRIGLE WHICH CONCENTRATED ON MANIPULATING, ORGANIZING, CLASSIFYING, AND ORDERING MATERIALS DESIGNED TO LEAD TO INTERNALIZED THOUGHT AND EFFECTIVE VERBAL EXPRESSION. GROUP B ATTENDED TRADITIONAL PRESCHOOL. GROUP C HAD NO PRESCHOOL EXPERIENCE. NINETEEN DEVELOPMENTAL MEASURES WERE TAKEN FOR EACH CHILD AT THE END OF THE 9-MONTH EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD. RESULTS SHOWED THAT GROUP A CHILDREN WERE SUPERIOR ON ALL MEASURES. GROUP B WAS SUPERIOR TO GROUP C ON ONE-HALF OF THE MEASURES. IN A FOLLOWUP STUDY AT THE END OF THE FIRST GRADE, THE CHILDREN WERE GIVEN ADDITIONAL STANDARDIZED TESTS WHICH WERE SUPPLEMENTED BY TEACHERS' RATINGS. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA INDICATED THAT THE EXPERIMENTAL PRESCHOOL PROGRAM HAD BEEN EFFECTIVE, SINCE GROUP A CHILDREN WERE STILL SUPERIOR IN MEASURES OF INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING EVEN THOUGH DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE THREE GROUPS HAD BEGUN TO DISAPPEAR BECAUSE THE NONPRESCHOOL GROUP HAD IMPROVED. ONE-HALF OF THIS REPORT IS A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF SPRIGLE'S PROGRAM PLUS FOLLOWUP STUDY DATA. (MS)