Drawing on longitudinal followups of Head Start children, cross-cultural data from Denmark, and studies of gifted and talented persons, this article advises parents that out-of-home care need not be harmful to their children. However, a high-pressure academic program might have long-lasting negative effects. Cites 14 references. (MLH)

In 1981, the Missouri State Department of Education hired the authors to design a model parent education program to enrich children's learning experiences during the first three years. The program, whose availabilty is now mandatory in Missouri, grew out of the authors' research with above average preschoolers and other early childhood studies.…