RESEARCH IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION HAS PRODUCED VARIED RESULTS, BUT IT IS FELT THAT THE EARLIER THERE IS INTERVENTION INTO UNSATISFACTORY EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE MORE EFFECTIVE WILL BE THE EFFORT TO REDUCE EDUCATIONAL DISABILITIES. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE NATURE AND DEGREE OF CHANGE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF FOUR-YEAR OLD CHILDREN BEFORE AND AFTER A PRESCHOOL TRAINING PROGRAM. THE SUBJECTS WERE APPROXIMATLEY 150 FOUR-YEAR OLD CHILDREN FROM THREE HEAD START CENTERS IN A LARGE EASTERN CITY. EACH SUBJECT WAS ENROLLED IN A YEAR-LONG PRESCHOOL PROGRAM AND WAS GIVEN A BATTERY OF TESTS AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE TERM. THE TESTS USED WERE (1) THE STANFORD-BINET, L-M, 1960 REVISION, (2) THE ILLINOIS TEST OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC ABILITIES, AND (3) THE DETROIT TESTS OF LEARNING APTITUDE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM WAS TO IMPROVE THE CHILD'S SELF-IMAGE, LINGUISTIC ABILITIES, SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND PRE-ACADEMIC CONCEPTS. THE TEST RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE CHILDREN'S IQ SCORES, PSYCHOLINGUISTIC ABILITIES, AND LEARNING APTITUDES IMPROVED. THERE WAS NO CONTROL GROUP USED, THEREFORE, NO CONCLUSION COULD BE EXPRESSED AS TO THE VALUE TO SUBJECTS OF SUCH A PROGRAM COMPARED WITH NO PROGRAM AT ALL. BUT IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT HEAD START DOES HELP THOSE CHILDREN IN NEED OF A HEAD START. (WD)