These guidelines, which represent a standard of quality exceeding minimum licensing, approval, and accreditation requirements, were prepared for use by most types of public and private early childhood programs. Child care centers, early childhood special education programs, preschools, nursery schools, Head Start programs, kindergartens, and primary units will find them helpful. Guidelines have been grouped into seven major categories: Administration, Staffing, the Learning Environment, Health and Safety, Parent Involvement and Education, Use of Community Resources, and Evaluation of Program and Staff. In each category, a statement of ideals and a rationale are followed by indicators that identify characteristics of quality programs. Also provided is a checklist that administrators, teachers, parents, and others can use to determine the extent to which their program meets the guidelines. It is emphasized that the guidelines are not requirements; they only describe a model of program quality. (RH)