The literature is reviewed on three curriculum models that were developed to help economically disadvantaged youngsters overcome the consequences of poverty and prepare for the academic challenges they would face in later years. The first section of the paper presents a historical overview of the developments in compensatory preschool education during the last 3 decades as they relate to three curriculum models: the child-centered, direct instruction, and open-framework curriculum models. The second section describes the direct instruction and open framework curriculum models as they are currently practiced and implemented in the schools. The discussion includes a comparison of the three approaches and an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of each in terms of the specific needs of the economically disadvantaged child. Arguments curently made by proponents and opponents of the models are included. The third section discusses limitations in the experimental design of research on the subject of curriculum models for economically disadvantaged preschoolers. Further, this section discusses those aspects of the subject which have been either completely omitted from the literature or which have not been studied in sufficient depth. Finally, new trends and directions in the field of compensatory preschool education are examined, which relate to the three curriculum models under consideration. (RH)