Barbara Kimes Myers, author of "Young Children and Spirituality," believes the spiritual life of children should be addressed in all early childhood settings. To ignore it denies the child's full development potential, she said.

Myers is an associate professor of child development at DePaul University's School of Education.

Despite this country's separation of church and state, the issue of children's spirituality should not be overlooked, even though most professional people involved with young children shy away from spirituality, Myers said.

"Educators seem to avoid sharing their concerns about the spiritual development of young children." she said. "Spirituality is something that has to remain inside the realm of religious institutions though many of us sense the importance of the spiritual in the secular worlds of our work."

She hopes that educators will consider addressing the spiritual life of a child. Myers said she wrote the book to encourage the development of a way of discussing spirtuality in the secular world. She said nurturing spirituality should not be confused with religious teaching.

"It is important that as professionals we are aware that spiritual development is a component of all development," she said. "It cannot be stamped 'to be discussed in religious institutions only' and then put on a shelf. Spirituality is part of all life."

A child's spiritual development impacts the entire community in an increasingly violent society, according to Myers. She cited the 1995 example of two young Chicago boys, then aged 10 and 11, who dropped a five-year-old from a housing project window to his death when he refused to steal candy for them.

"When our children become our enemies, where is our hope?" asked Myers. "My point is that the behavior of children in any community is a community issue. We can be caring communities that help children learn to live in caring relationships or we can be toxic communities where children are not taught to be caring." Child care professionals and educators are aware of the importance of the development of the total child, Myers said.

"I also know many people in the secular world who sense that there is a spiritual dimension of child development in addition to the physical, social, emotional and cognitive aspects," Myers said. "Although they are working to put their thoughts about spirituality and the young child into words, they are struggling to do so."

For educators to ignore the child's spirit severely "limits our ability to address issues related to the whole child, even as we claim that this is what we do. Such an important aspect of human development deserves to be explored both in theory and practice. Once this occurs, our understanding of child development and the resulting professional and practical conversations will be more complete," she said.

Kimes' book is available at DePaul's Lincoln Park Book Store, 2419 N. Sheffield Ave., or at The Seminary Coop Bookstore, 5757 S. University Ave. Reporters can obtain a copy of the book by calling Alli Hirschman at Routledge Press in New York at 212/244-3336, Ext. 318.