This report, addressed to graduate students who intend to enter into field research in inner-city settings, details some of the personnel and community relations problems and logistical and financial challenges encountered by a research team, which undertook an evaluation of early education programs, basic research on child development, and social action. Hiring community workers for local management and data collection was found to present problems. The evaluation staff underestimated demands placed on the local coordinator, whose loyalty was divided between the community and the project. Delays in bimonthly pay checks created serious hardships, and were responsible for absenteeism among black mothers hired as testers. Chaos and violence in these women's lives were noted to affect their work. Securing adequate office space, transportation and communication facilities, children's furniture, estimation of petty cash needs, and the establishment of trust between the project evaluation staff and the community are other problem areas discussed. (KG)