This book is designed to provide child caregivers with a structured framework for guiding the behavior of young children in a manner that respects individual differences, builds healthy self esteem, and develops responsibility while allowing the caregiver to maintain limits and supervisory control. Section 1 of the guide offers a framework for understanding young children. This section includes chapters on the importance of self-esteem; democratic relationships and effective guidance; and psychological principles underlying infant and child behavior. Section 2 discusses developing positive relationships with children. Chapters in this section cover the role of encouragement in enhancing self-esteem; techniques for effective relationships with infants and with young children; and building responsive communication skills. Section 3 examines children's behavior and includes discussions of both positive and negative behavior and the appropriate response to each. Section 4 presents a discussion of effective guidance techniques including limit-setting, behavioral consequences, and child-initiated conflict resolution. Section 5 examines the role of appropriate environment in guiding children's behavior. Chapters discuss the importance of planning age-appropriate environments and how to improve environments when working with groups. Section 6 discusses other factors to consider when implementing a democratic and responsive approach to caregiving. Those include cultural diversity, parent needs and involvement, caregiver needs and behavior, and the influence of caregiver values. Each chapter contains references. (TJQ)