KINDERGARTENS IN FOUR PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS (ONE NEGRO, TWO PUERTO RICAN, AND ONE MIXED) IN NEW YORK CITY WERE STUDIED TO DETERMINE WHETHER A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECT HAD RESULTED FROM A SUMMER HEAD START PROGRAM. THE PERFORMANCE OF 179 FORMER HEAD START CHILDREN WAS MEASURED AGAINST 388 OF THEIR NON-HEAD START CLASSMATES. SEVEN INSTRUMENTS, INCLUDING SIX DEVELOPED FOR THIS STUDY (RANKING ARRAY, COOPERATIVE RATING SCHEDULES, CALDWELL PRE-SCHOOL INVENTORY, TEACHER INTERVIEWS, CLASS OBSERVATIONS, PARENT INTERVIEWS, AND CHILD INTERVIEWS), MEASURED THE EFFECT OF HEAD START ON READINESS TO ENTER FIRST GRADE, ON OVERALL READINESS, ON SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT TO KINDERGARTEN ROUTINES, AND ON EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT. IMPACT OF THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER WAS STUDIED, AS WAS THE IMPACT OF HEAD START ON THE KINDERGARTEN CLASS AND ON THE HOME. TEACHER AND PARENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HEAD START IMPROVEMENT WERE RECORDED. RESULTS INDICATED THAT ALTHOUGH NO EDUCATIONAL GAINS HAD BEEN MADE, HEAD START CHILDREN SHOW GREATER LEARNING READINESS AND EAGERNESS TO LEARN THAN NON-HEAD START CHILDREN SIX MONTHS LATER. (SEE ALSO PS 000 282, PS 000 293, PS 000 284, PS 000 285, AND PS 000 286.) (LG)