Two questionnaires were developed to assess the knowledge levels and perceived inservice training needs of those working in handicapped preschool programs in New Mexico and in El Paso Independent School District (EPSID). The New Mexico instrument was sent to all personnel in the state identified as having a connection with preschool programs for the handicapped. These ranged from people in state human services agencies, curriculum coordinators, directors, teachers and aides of public, private and community-based programs. The EPISD instrument was sent to teachers and aides within the district who were actively engaged in teaching preschool handicapped children. Respondents' expressed relative knowledge levels and inservice training needs for each item on the questionnaire were ranked in order of importance. The nonparametric test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, equivalent to the Mann Whitney U-test, was used to determine if there were differences between New Mexico rural and New Mexico urban groups, New Mexico urban and El Paso groups, and between combined urban (New Mexico and El Paso) and New Mexico rural groups. In all cases rural groups tended to perceive themselves as having lower knowledge levels and higher inservice training needs than the urban groups. (AH)