This paper lists and tentatively assesses three experiments in preschool education in rural areas in France, and outlines the Massif Central development program which draws extensively on these experiments. In Experiment I, a peripatetic teacher worked with young children, concentrating on speech activities in four different single-class schools. In Experiment II, part-time schooling was conducted in response to the desire of the local authorities to keep preschool education in their own geographic areas, and the parents' wish to spare their children the inconvenience of travelling to school. The teacher divides her work between two communes so that she travels instead of the children. The third experiment, the intermunicipal scheme at Margerides, is discussed in detail as it was central to the development of the Massif Central program. Origins of the experiment, its innovational aspects, reasons for choice of geographical location, and the educational, human, and material difficulties are discussed in detail. Solutions to these difficulties include providing beginning teachers with training appropriate to the task of teaching in a rural environment, using psychological persuasion and information to win over parents, teachers, and the local community, converting the physical environment to suit the purposes of the experiment, providing female attendants and transportation, and initiating parent involvement. Finally, theoretical proposals and reports focusing on the development of the Massif Central program are briefly discussed. Experimental schemes and projects currently underway are also listed. (CM)