A description and discussion of the design, development, implementation, evaluation and effects of the Individualized Early Learning Program (IELP) are presented in this paper. Implemented in Project Follow Through and other school settings, the IELP gives priority to teaching basic skills and concepts needed for school performance to children in preschool and the early elementary grades. Built into the program are features such as instructional tasks, diagnostic procedures, instruments for evaluating and monitoring student learning, recommendations for the physical design of the classroom, and a learning management system. Organized into four major sections, the paper provides an overview of the IELP, discusses the process of program development, describes the field research activities undertaken, and discusses the insights gained while developing and studying the program. Selected samples of objectives included in various prescriptive curricula are appended. (Author/RH)