This booklet contains the 1972 and 1973 program and management plans for the Flexible Training System for Teacher Assistants. The program has four primary objectives, each one related to a major problem in early childhood education. Objectives are (1) to develop an educational program that provides a career ladder for low income persons who are currently involved or may become involved in some educational programs for children from ages 3 to 9, (2) to provide an efficient way of training large numbers of persons who will be needed in Head Start and Day Care programs, (3) to upgrade the quality of existing preschool programs by providing inservice training, and (4) to develop a flexible training system that will allow a teacher in kindergarten through the third grade to choose from among a set of competencies those that will increase her effectiveness in working with a particular group of children. (ST)