A COMPARISON WAS MADE BETWEEN 29 NURSERY SCHOOL CHILDREN WHO RECEIVED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE AND 20 MALADJUSTED CHILDREN WHO DID NOT. EACH CHILD WHO RECEIVED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE AT SOME POINT DURING HIS SCHOOL CAREER WAS EVALUATED FOR ADJUSTMENT DURING FIVE SEGMENTS OF HIS SCHOOL CAREER. DATA FROM MENTAL HEALTH RECORDS FOR BOTH GROUPS WERE THEN SEPARATELY EVALUATED BY THREE RATERS TO ASSESS EACH CHILD'S ADJUSTMENT DURING THESE PERIODS. DURING THE 1940'S, MIDDLE CLASS, PROFESSIONALLY ORIENTED FAMILIES WITH NURSERY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN A COMMUNITY WITH ADEQUATE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES DID USE THESE SERVICES. IN OVER HALF OF THE CASES, MEDICAL HEALTH SERVICE WAS INSTITUTED PRIOR TO THE FOURTH GRADE. MOST CHILDREN SHOWING EVIDENCE OF MALADJUSTMENT, OR USING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, HAD LOW NURSERY SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT RATINGS. MORE CHILDREN SHOWING MALADJUSTMENT AND RECEIVING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN HIGH SCHOOL THAN MALADJUSTED CHILDREN WHO RECEIVED NO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE. THE NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AT THE EARLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL IS SUPPORTED BY THE STUDY. THIS SPEECH WAS PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ORTHOPSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION, WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 20-24, 1967. (PS)