A brief discussion of important issues in prekindergarten screening and programming precedes annotated citations of 19 references. A consideration of characteristics of a high quality preschool program is followed by discussion of the importance of the preschool teacher and early childhood screening and assessment. It is argued that a successful program for preschoolers depends on the perceptive skills and ability of the preschool teacher to be attuned and responsive to each child's developmental readiness for being lured into learning. Knowledge of child development is essential for teacher competency. Observation skills and notes on significant episodes that reflect children's progress in: language skills, social interactions, self-control, attention span, and persistence at difficult tasks are important assessment tools for teachers. The Denver Developmental Screening Test can be helpful. Teachers should have a good acquaintance with ways to carry out time and event sampling, write up case study vignettes, and use Socratic questioning techniques in order to increase children's reflective and reasoning skills. (RH)