PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a program to enhance ego-development for elementary and middle school students from low income families. METHODS: The study was a pretest-posttest design with a nonequivalent control group. The participants were 84 students who were admitted to after-school programs in three youth centers. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi2-test, and t-test. RESULTS: Students who were in the intervention group (n=43) showed improvements from baseline to 10 weeks in aspects of general mental health, self-concept, and depression. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that the ego-development enhancing program positively affects the mental health of students from low income families.