This research report examines the need for consumer education programs for preschool children and describes preschool consumer education programs. A literature review of ERIC, CAIN (an agricultural index), Psychological Abstracts, Education Index, and the Canadian Education Index was conducted. Section one of the report provides an overview of consumer socialization. Families and schools have been identified as important influences in the consumer socialization of preschool children. Although most research focuses on consumer education in the secondary school, the research dealing with the preschool level supports the proposition that even young children are capable of learning consumer skills in a classroom setting. Section two discusses preschoolers' knowledge of the following consumer concepts: money, shopping, jobs and work, energy conservation, and television advertising. Section three contains a summary of the topics and concepts which researchers and program developers think appropriate for the preschool child. Section four contains brief summaries of currently available consumer education programs which have been developed for use with preschool children. Included are parent participation programs and classroom programs. Some consumer education materials were field tested with a small group of preschool children. An outline of the test program and of the results is included in section five. The report concludes with the names and addresses of resource persons and with a bibliography. (Author/RM)