THE MAJOR PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE IF THERE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT RESPONSES TO CERTAIN ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY FACTORS BETWEEN PARENTS WHOSE CHILDREN PARTICIPATED IN THE HEAD START PROJECT AND THOSE WHOSE CHILDREN WERE ELIGIBLE BUT DID NOT PARTICIPATE. ALL PARENTS OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN, 2 1/2 TO 6 YEARS OF AGE, WHO RESIDED IN 3 DESIGNATED SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WERE INCLUDED IN A HOUSE-TO-HOUSE SURVEY. IN ALL 256 PARENTS WERE SURVEYED BY MEANS OF A 50 QUESTION FORM WRITTEN IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. FINDINGS GENERALLY SHOW NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSES. THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IS A MATTER OF COMMUNICATION. PARTICIPANTS WERE INFORMED OF THE HEAD START PROGRAM, NON-PARTICIPANTS WERE NOT. BROUGHT OUT IS THE FACT OF A DEFINITE NEED TO STEP UP COMMUNICATION IN ORDER THAT LOW INCOME FAMILIES CAN BE MADE AWARE OF AVAILABLE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR CHILDREN AS WELL AS THE EXISTENT NEED FOR PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR. ENGLISH AND SPANISH QUESTIONNAIRES ARE INCLUDED. THERE ARE MANY TABLES OF ACCRUED DATA. (EF)