Suggested is a learning systems approach designed to be consistent with the objectives and scope of developmental psychology and yet sophisticated and appropriate enough to fit the unique demands of early childhood education. Identified are eight contingencies for learning that any educational system must possess. Added to these are features considered distinctive to learning environments for preschool children. Among these features are the family as a learning system, a systems perspective, a psycho-social theory of classroom learning, the philosophic position, criteria and specifications, the operational stage, evaluating and measuring learning systems, an educational research superstructure, and the educational research testing system. Eight figures specify designs and relationships important in conceptualizing and operationalizing this approach. (WY)