As our society confronts ever increasing social problems, such as violence, substance abuse, educational failure, and domestic disintegration, children's behavior problems grow in proportion. The social costs of anti-social behavior are well documented. The early identification and mediation of emotional/behavior disorders is a high priority for early-childhood educators and is based on the assumption that problems such as school failure can be averted with early screening, prevention and intervention. Presently, (a) tools for screening behavior problems in preschool children are few and (b) many have not been studied within a cross-cultural framework. There is a growing need for cross-cultural research on screening instruments appropriate for use with young children from culturally diverse backgrounds who are at risk for emotional/behavioral problems. This research assesses the cross-cultural psychometric characteristics and validity of a multiple gating screening procedure designed to identify at-risk preschool children, ages three through five. This screening-identification procedure relies on teacher judgments, in vivo behavioral observations, and normative criteria to identify preschool children exhibiting serious behavior problems. The authors have developed a unique screening system entitled the Early Screening Project that uses a multiple gating approach to screen and identify at-risk children. This five-year research project screens approximately 2,000 children in Head Start centers in rural, suburban, and urban sites in Oregon and follow them up through first grade in a three cohort longitudinal design. Focus groups and expert consultation will assure that recruitment and assessment procedures are appropriate for all families, which will include African-, European-, Hispanic-, and native-Americans.