This study aimed to develop and validate the Teacher Rating Scale of Leadership (TRSL) for assessing leadership in 3- to 6-year-old preschoolers. Developed through observation, interviews, and expert reviews, the TRSL was tested on 995 preschoolers in Zhejiang Province, China. It demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.896-0.962) and acceptable inter-rater reliability (rs = 0.714-0.746, p < 0.01). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed its construct validity, with strong correlations to the Peer Interaction Scale (r = 0.571-0.842, p < 0.01) and the Peer Interaction Subscale of the Children's Social Development Scale (r = 0.588-0.684, p < 0.01), demonstrating good criterion-related validity. With two dimensions--leadership qualities and abilities--across 12 indicators, the TRSL proved to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring early childhood leadership in China.