This summary on studies on preschool intervention through social learning indicate that a child's mode of orientation and his general level of competence and maturity are, in large part, derived from his social environment. To the extent that specific aspects of that environment can be identified as significant antecedents to behavioral inadequacies, remedial efforts should concern themselves with those aspects. Disadvantaged boys from father-absent homes exhibit a low level of maturity in their cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes. Yet, while this immaturity seems clearly to spring from social factors, preschools have traditionally stressed school readiness skills. The problems experienced by disadvantaged boys seemed to be caused by a combination of (1) paternal absence, (2) lack of appropriate masculine model, and (3) low social esteem of the male and male role. Remediation seems to require at least (1) a competent masculine model, (2) varied child-model interaction, and (3) reinforcement of the boy's imitating behavior. The presence of these conditions in a coordinated social-learning program yielded significant intellectual and emotional gains. Social-learning techniques can be used to supplement programs with specific enrichment goals, and may also be used to broaden the range of the advantaged as well as the disadvantaged. (MH)