The preschool teacher is in the unique position of being able to identify children who have developed language and speech problems during their early years. This paper is a detailed resource for preschool teachers on hearing and speech problems. Its purpose is two-fold: to emphasize the important role the preschool teacher plays in the lives of children in their care, and to inform the teacher of the important role the sense of hearing plays in the total development of the child. It argues that chronic ear infections do not receive the necessary attention they deserve and can have serious negative educational, emotional, and social consequences in preschool children. Topics discussed include normal development of speech and language; anatomy of the ear; causes of ear-infections; why these ear infections are not identified and/or taken seriously; how the mild hearing loss often associated with the presence of fluid in the middle ear affects the child's perception of speech; treatment; who needs tubes; educational problems associated with chronic infections in the middle ear; problems parents have when a child has ear infections; what parents need to do; and what the preschool teacher needs to do for these children and parents. (SD)