A study was conducted of 55 preschool children attending Title XX day care centers in Amarillo, Texas, to investigate the cognitive, language, fine motor, and socioemotional development of the children. Results indicated that the students were below the 50th percentile for their age group norms on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised, the Test of Early SocioEmotional Development, the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, and the Stanford Preschool Internal-External Scale (Form II). Children whose parents paid full day care costs scored higher in language ability than did students in protective care and students receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children. All three groups of children were below age-level norms on visual-motor skills. The children perceived themselves as being externally controlled by others in their environment. Contrary to expectations, children who were under protective care of the state did not have lower self-ratings on socioemotional development. (JDD)