Child maltreatment is a widespread issue across the United States, directly impacting young children's learning and behavior. Yet, variability found in early education pre-service training does not include focus on this topic. Early education teachers often experience low wages, long work hours, and a lack of support to meet the needs of young children. This mixed methods study sought to understand preschool teachers' perceptions of challenging behavior in their classrooms and the impact challenging behavior has on relationships within the classroom community. Quantitative data was collected from 30 preschool teachers using the Student-Teacher Relationship Short Form and frequency ratings of common behavior attributes. Three survey respondents participated in interviews to gather qualitative data that detail their perceptions about challenging behavior and student-teacher relationships on a deeper level. Survey results describe the student-teacher relationships as marked by closeness or conflict, these subscale scores have a moderate negative correlation. The most common behaviors found in preschool classrooms were "impulsivity," "neediness," "defiance," "needs high levels of teacher support," "talking out of turn," and "too much energy." Findings suggest preschool teachers do not feel adequately prepared to teach children with challenging behavior, feelings of isolation influence preschool teachers' ability to teach children with challenging behavior, and when preschool teachers feel a sense of connectedness, their success and satisfaction in the classroom increases. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]