A survey of beliefs of teachers and administrators regarding developmentally appropriate preschool programming was conducted. An instrument based on National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) guidelines (1987) for developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) was developed and distributed. Items were designed to assess beliefs concerning curriculum goals; teaching strategies; guidance of socioemotional development; language and literacy development; cognitive, physical, and aesthetic development; motivation; parent-teacher relations; assessment of children; program entry; and staffing. Participants were 401 elementary and special education administrators, and prekindergarten, kindergarten, primary, intermediate, and special education teachers from a large Northeastern state. The sample included subjects from 104 school districts with rural, suburban, and large metropolitan populations. Findings revealed that special educators, prekindergarten teachers, and elementary and special education administrators had significantly better knowledge of DAP than kindergarten, primary, and intermediate grade teachers. It is concluded that the findings are especially problematic, since kindergarten through sixth grade teachers, who had the least knowledge of DAP, make up the primary pool from which teachers are most likely to be selected for public school preschool programs. (RH)