In 1991, the Worcester (Massachusetts) Public Schools received a grant to provide services to maintain the early benefits attained by Head Start children. One part of the program is advancement of a developmentally appropriate curriculum. A study was undertaken to examine the effects of investing substantial resources in classrooms in four schools in economically impoverished areas. A "tailor-made" developmentally appropriate curriculum was developed, field-tested, and approved in 1993 for the demonstration classrooms. A 2-year comparison of the demonstration and observation (or control) classrooms was then undertaken to assess the differences in creating developmentally appropriate classrooms. A classroom observation instrument that examines developmental practice was used for observation, and data were analyzed resulting in five scales plus a composite scale. Analysis of data showed that, especially for the first year and to a lesser degree the second year, the demonstration classrooms, which received considerable resources, were further advanced in providing a developmentally appropriate environment for children than the comparison classrooms, which did not receive resources. Overall, the study suggests that focused intervention of resources encourages a more developmentally appropriate classroom environment. Contains 11 references. (TM)