A project was undertaken to reduce the amount of time required to screen first year students into an oversubscribed early childhood education program at a multicampus community college in Ontario, Canada, and to reduce faculty complaints concerning the procedure. The original process consisted of applicant questionnaires scored by faculty and lengthy interviews between candidates and faculty members. Following a review of the literature and a survey of faculty, a new procedure was developed which eliminated the interview, screening students instead by the following five criteria: (1) previous academic performance, determined by English grades and averages of all other marks from grade 12 on; (2) a personal statement by applicants describing their life experience, motivation for working with children, personal qualities and attributes, and examples of initiative; (3) a standardized test measuring applicants' reading and writing ability; (4) attendance at a mandatory information meeting to report on a visit to a child care center; and (5) references from two people familiar with the students' work with young children. Implementation of the new system resulted in reduced faculty workloads, with the procedures requiring an average of 17 minutes per student, compared to 60 minutes previously. In addition, all faculty reported that the system was much improved in terms of time required, although some questioned the effect on the quality of students. Sample forms are appended. (Contains 50 references.) (MAB)