The Social Skills Development Program (SSDP) is a prevention program for inner-city primary-age school children. The services provided by SSDP are for children experiencing moderate school maladjustment. Included are descriptions of program rationale and operations, staffing, prescriptive early intervention, preventive health interventions and problems of implementation. The problems identified for discussion are: (1) how to reverse patterns of life-style that contribute to chronic poor health; (2) how involvement with the child should continue in the absence of parent participation; (3) how to procure positive results with transient families; and (4) how to balance national priorities and local politics. Although the program is geographically specific, it can be adapted for use in elementary schools elsewhere. (Author/BMW)