This paper presents findings of an analysis of kindergarten report cards from Ohio public schools and discusses implications of the findings for policy makers, program planners, and curriculum supervisors. A total of 76 school districts were selected in a random sample of 331 which was stratified to represent 6 types of school districts. Data were analyzed to determine (1) how report cards were organized; (2) how information was reported; (3) what children were expected to know and to be able to do; and (4) what philosophies of early childhood education or theoretical orientations were evident. Findings in each of these areas are reported. The analysis led to three conclusions. First, there are specific skills that a kindergarten child is expected to master, with major emphasis being in the areas of work habits, reading readiness, and math readiness. Second, the push in Ohio public schools is toward an academically oriented kindergarten most heavily influenced by the behaviorist perspective. Third, the predominant marking systems present negative evaluations for the kindergarten child, assuming that a child can fail in the skills and behaviors expected of a kindergartener. Such a system, it is argued, further reinforces a behaviorist perspective in contrast to a maturationist or interactionist orientation. (RH)