Research findings indicate that well-designed and implemented preschool programs raise the social and educational functioning of disadvantaged children over the long term, thus assisting in the prevention of later delinquency. This suggests the value of such preschool programs for children who have been abused and neglected, since studies suggest that maltreated children are at high risk for later delinquency. Current official responses to child abuse and neglect typically include superficial counseling for parents and foster care for the children. Foster care has proven to be of mixed quality. Long-term foster care can leave lasting psychological scars on children, and few foster children receive treatment services to counter the effects of past maltreatment. Children under threat of imminent harm must be protected by removing them from the parents, but children in cumulatively harmful circumstances would profit more from services designed to remedy maltreatment effects while the child remains with the parents, who are also receiving treatment. A quality preschool program should be an important component of any disposition of a child maltreatment case. 13 notes and 80 references.