As teachers, researchers, and policymakers strive to ensure that all children enter school "ready to learn," no question is more pressing than: "What is the best approach for teaching young children?" This digest discusses the existing knowledge base on the differential effects of various approaches to early education. The digest first summarizes early empirical studies and longitudinal follow-up, showing that to the extent that there are any differences across prekindergarten programs at the beginning of elementary school, they tended to favor the more teacher-directed approaches; yet in the long term, children in the child-centered programs fared at least as well or better. This review also highlights the success of Montessori models studied. The digest then reviews more recent research linking specific instructional variables to developmentally appropriate instructional practices. This review also notes that motivational outcomes also vary as a function of preschool practices. Next, the digest calls for new instructional paradigms, noting that the simple dichotomy between child-centered and teacher-directed approaches is not adequate for characterizing the complexity of early childhood instructional practices, and further research combining direct instruction with high nurturance is needed. The digest concludes by asserting that new instructional approaches must include: (1) the interplay among emotions, social understanding, and cognition within the child; (2) factors within the classroom such as socioemotional climate and the teacher-child relationship; and (3) the larger context of school, family, and community. (Contains 17 references.) (HTH)