A NEW NURSERY SCHOOL PROGRAM, COMBINING A RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT AND AN ENRICHED CLASSROOM SUBPROGRAM, WAS IMPLEMENTED IN AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE PARTICULAR SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF DISADVANTAGED SPANISH-AMERICAN, PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. FIRST-YEAR EFFORTS WERE REPORTED OF AN EXTENDED LONGITUDINAL STUDY, PROJECTED FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS. THE "STANFORD-BINET TEST" AND THE "PEABODY PICTURE VOCABULARY TEST" WERE ADMINISTERED TO 30 CHILDREN FROM FAMILIES DEPRIVED BY OCCUPATION, INCOME, AND EDUCATION. AFTER 1 YEAR OF SCHOOL ATTENDANCE THE GROUP WAS RETESTED. THEIR SCORES WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE OBTAINED FROM--(1) A MATCHED SPANISH-AMERICAN CONTROL GROUP WHICH DID NOT ATTEND NURSERY SCHOOL, (2) A GROUP OF "ANGLO" MIDDLE- AND UPPERCLASS CHILDREN IN A PARALLEL EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM, AND (3) A GROUP OF COMPARABLE "ANGLO" CHILDREN IN A TRADITIONAL NURSERY SCHOOL PROGRAM. FINDINGS INDICATED SIGNIFICANT GAINS ON THE "PEABODY TEST" OF THE SPANISH-AMERICAN CHILDREN IN THE NEW NURSERY SCHOOL PROGRAM. SIGNIFICANT "STANFORD-BINET" GAINS BY THIS GROUP, HOWEVER, WERE NOT REALIZED AT THE TIME OF THIS REPORTING. IN ADDITION, LIMITED FOLLOWUP OF THIS GROUP SHOWED THEIR ACHIEVEMENT IN KINDERGARTEN TO BE SUPERIOR, ALLOWING FAVORABLE PROGNOSIS FOR THEIR SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THE FIRST GRADE. (JH)