This study examined the efficacy of two educational practices designed to prevent learning difficulties in children from high risk families (N=64) during the first 8 years of life. The preventive treatments included: (1) educational daycare plus family education from birth to age 5 followed by a home/school resource program from kindergarten through second grade; or (2) identical family education but no educational daycare followed by the identical home/school program through second grade. Among findings are the following: the most intensely treated group consistently scored higher than the other two groups; over time the IQ and reading scores of all three groups decreased somewhat; there was a significant linear effect of time but no treatment and time interaction effects; an expected rise in academic achievement by the treatment groups from kindergarten to grade 2 was not realized; but significantly fewer of the children in the educational daycare group were retained in grade. (6 references) (DB)