SHORTAGES IN TRAINED PERSONNEL FOR PRESCHOOL CHILD CARE AND HEAD START LED TO THIS PILOT PROGRAM THE PURPOSES OF WHICH WERE (1) TO DEVELOP A TRAINING MODEL FOR NON-PROFESSIONAL PRESCHOOL AIDES, (2) TO DETERMINE THE VALUE OF SELECTION CRITERIA IN TRAINEE SUCCESS, (3) TO EVALUATE THE TRAINEES' UNDERSTANDING, (4) TO DEVELOP MATERIALS SUITABLE FOR NON-PROFESSIONALS. TWO TRAINING SESSIONS WERE HELD IN AN EAST ST. LOUIS, ILLINOIS CHURCH BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER, 1965. PRELIMINARY TESTING OF 257 APPLICANTS ACCEPTED 24 FOR SESSION 1 AND 25 FOR SESSION 2. A FOUR WEEK OBSERVATION PERIOD USING ROLE-PLAYING AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS, DISCUSSION GROUPS, CREATIVE ARTS, AND LECTURE-DEMONSTRATIONS WAS FOLLOWED BY A TWELVE-WEEK PRACTICE TEACHING PERIOD WHICH INCLUDED WEEKLY ONE-DAY STAFF MEETINGS. THE TRAINING PERIOD WAS ON A 5 HOUR PER DAY BASIS FOR 16 WEEKS. WRITTEN REPORTS WERE REQUIRED OF THE TRAINEES TO FOCUS THEIR ATTENTION UPON BEHAVIOR DEVELOPMENT. EVALUATION OF THE TRAINEES OCCURRED DURING THE PRACTICE TEACHING PERIOD. EXPERIENCE WITH THE CHILDREN AND DISCUSSION RELATED TO THAT EXPERIENCE WERE FOUND TO HAVE GREATER LONG TERM EFFECTIVENESS THAN FILMS, LECTURES, AND SELF-SELECTED READING. A RESOURCE HANDBOOK USEFUL TO THE TRAINEES WAS DEVELOPED. THE TRAINEES WERE MOST INTERESTED IN INFORMAL PRESENTATIONS IN WHICH THEY WERE DIRECTLY INVOLVED. POST-TESTING OF THE TRAINEES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN PUNITIVE, AUTHORITARIAN, AND RESTRICTIVE ATTITUDES. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT NON-PROFESSIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS BE CONTINUED AND THAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL EDUCATION AND IN-SERVICE TRAINING BE PROVIDED. (DETAILED APPENDICES INCLUDED.) (LG)