The preadolescent day-treatment program provides multimodality therapy with a psychodynamic orientation. The aim is to reintegrate the children into the community as soon as possible. The program can accommodate 15 children. Activities include 2 1/2 hours of special education daily and a 3-hour block of psychotherapy that includes individual play therapy; social skills and task groups; psychodrama; and pet, art, occupation, and group therapies. Family therapy using an integrative approach is conducted weekly. In the evaluation, a quasi-experimental design was used with sequential assignment to groups, with the treatment group being filled first. A mixed model design was used to compare the two groups with repeated measures at intake and discharge. Thirty children assigned to day treatment or a waiting list were compared on measures of behavior, self- perception, academic, peer relations, and family functioning. Multivariate analyses of covariance showed that the treatment group improved significantly more on measures of behavior and self-perception. Six-month follow-up findings show that treated children had improved over time on all measures except academics. The study shows that compared with a waiting-list control group, day treatment produces greater gains and that these gains are maintained at 6 months followup. It also shows the need for a treatment that combines multiple modalities in dealing with children who have disruptive behavior disorders. 1 table, 1 figure, and 50 references