While the purpose of this project was curriculum development, long range benefits are contingent upon a radical reorganization and upgrading of public school systems throughout Appalachia. Subjects in the pilot assessment consisted of 80 children (3 1/2 to 6 1/2 years old) and their mothers from each of Monongalia and Upshur Counties, West Virginia. Mothers were given a demographic child-rearing practices interview-questionnaire. Children were divided into two groups and were given different batteries of tests. Their performance revealed cultural diversity rather than uniform cognitive-intellectual deficits. Clearest deficits centered on verbal tasks or problem settings which demanded symbolic representation, which appeared to increase in severity in disadvantaged children. Spatial reasoning, memory functions, and conservation or logical operations skills did not appear impaired. A section on behavioral objectives for a preschool curriculum is outlined in the document, and a section is devoted to a survey of representative preschool intervention research. An extensive bibliography is appended. (DO)