As part of Louisiana's efforts to expand and improve the quality of its early childhood programs, a committee of educators from across the state collaborated to develop standards for programs serving 4-year-olds. This guide presents program standards to assist the ongoing development, evaluation, and improvement of early childhood center-based programs and presents content practice standards to provide educators with a common understanding of what young children should know and be able to do. The standards were developed for all Louisiana preschoolers, including students with disabilities and those who are linguistically and culturally diverse, and as such, are not intended to be a curriculum or a checklist nor to limit any child's progress. The guide's introduction describes principles guiding the standards' development, the content standards' foundation skills, and the information literacy model for lifelong learning. The guide then presents program standards in the following areas: (1) physical environment; (2) transportation; (3) group size/ratios; (4) health/safety practices; (5) nutrition/food service; (6) family involvement/support; (7) staff qualifications and staff development; (8) interactions between staff and children and among children; (9) curriculum; (10) assessment; and (11) collaboration. Following a comparison of developmentally appropriate and inappropriate practices and a sample content standards page, content standards are then offered in the following areas: (1) cognitive development, including mathematical, science, and social studies development; (2) creative arts development; (3) health and physical development; (4) language and literacy development; and (5) social and emotional development. Each content standard delineates skill areas, broad outcomes, indicators, tips on how to assist children's optimal performance, and links to state K-4 content standards and to standards of various national organizations. All of the content standards are presented in tabular format to facilitate planning. A glossary of relevant terms, a 16-item bibliography, and lists of members of the standards committee and Louisiana Department of Education staff complete the guide. (KB)