This paper examines issues related to the role of preschool education in Norway. Two dominant philosophies of preschool education are identified, the first emphasizing the importance of play opportunities and the social environment of the preschool, and the second focusing on the importance of adequate pedagogical programs for optimum cognitive stimulation. Opinions on the proper relationship between the preschool and the primary school are presented from proponents of each philosophy. Trends contributing to the current emphasis on cognitive development in the preschool are traced and the role of the preschool in compensatory education is discussed. Assumptions about the deficiencies of children who are the targets of compensatory preschool education are examined and the research of Piaget, Bernstein and others on the development of language and thought in the normal child is reviewed. Finally, the question of whether pedagogical interventions can compensate for deficient development is addressed and some of the characteristics of a stimulating preschool environment are discussed. (JMB)