Self-esteem is cumulative and proactive. Events and people surrounding an individual have a direct relationship with the development of self-esteem. Factors influencing a child's self-esteem begin from the time the infant is in the mother's womb. A unique self-esteem develops for each child whether from a cohesive family, from a foundling home, or from a single parent. The migrant child's experiences parallel the same experiences of other children, but with the added dimension of cultural adjustment. Studies on self-esteem provide some implications for understanding and explaining the migrant child's needs. This paper formulates a theoretical framework for self-esteem and child development. The characteristics of the following levels of self-esteem are examined as are the implications for the cultural adjustment of migrant children: high-high, low-low, high-low, low-high, low-medium, high-medium, medium-low, medium-medium, and medium-high. A grid is formulated which classifies the levels of self-esteem to levels of cultural adjustment. The need for experimentally controlled studies comparing the self-esteem of migrants and the process of cultural adjustment is cited. (Author/NQA)