The term curriculum model refers to a conceptual framework and organizational structure for decision making about educational priorities, administrative policies, instructional methods, and evaluation criteria. This digest discusses the role of curriculum models in early childhood education. Following a discussion of the origin of early childhood education curriculum models, the digest presents an overview of curriculum models, noting that theories of child development have served as the foundation for curriculum model development. The digest notes that comparisons of models focus on the extent the programs experienced by children differ from each other and on whether some programs are better than others in producing desired outcomes. The digest touches on the findings of comparative evaluations, noting that the research suggests that early childhood curriculum models do affect child outcomes and that there may be potentially negative consequences associated with highly structured, academic preschool programs. The digest concludes with a discussion of whether curriculum models improve program quality or whether they lower expectations for early childhood educators and diminish the professional responsibilities of early childhood teachers. (LPP)