A STUDY OF KINDERGARTEN PERCEPTION WAS MADE TO DETERMINE IF A FORMAL PROGRAM IN PERCEPTION IN KINDERGARTEN WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE GROWTH OF PERCEPTION IN CHILDREN AT THE END OF THE KINDERGARTEN YEAR AND TO SUCCESS AT THE FIRST-GRADE LEVEL. FOURTEEN KINDERGARTEN CLASSES WERE CHOSEN AT RANDOM FOR A CONTROL GROUP, AND 14 CLASSES WERE CHOSEN AT RANDOM FOR AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE CHILDREN, FROM A LARGE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ALL CLASSES. EACH SUBJECT WAS GIVEN THE WINTERHAVEN PERCEPTION ABILITY FORMS TEST IN SEPTEMBER AND MAY OF THE KINDERGARTEN YEAR TO DETERMINE GROWTH IN PERCEPTION AND WAS TESTED WITH THE GATES WORD RECOGNITION TEST IN NOVEMBER AND MAY OF THE FIRST GRADE TO DETERMINE GROWTH IN READING ABILITY. TEACHERS WERE CHOSEN AT RANDOM FOR THE CLASSES AND WERE MATCHED ON YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND TEACHING COMPETENCE. EACH OF THE KINDERGARTEN CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUP TEACHERS RECEIVED INSERVICE TRAINING ON THE USE OF KINDERGARTEN GUIDES FROM BOTH COUNTY AND DISTRICT. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP OF TEACHERS RECEIVED ADDITIONAL TRAINING IN TEACHING PERCEPTION SKILLS. DATA WERE ANALYZED BY CHI SQUARE AND INDICATED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER GROWTH IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP IN BOTH PERCEPTION AND WORD RECOGNITION ACHIEVEMENT WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. SOME KINDERGARTEN TECHNIQUES CONSIDERED VALUABLE AND CHARTS AND FIGURES ARE PROVIDED. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE (SEATTLE, MAY 4-6, 1967). (BK)