Just as prejudicial stereotypes about race, sex, social class, and physical appearance have led to inhuman treatment, similar biased concepts exist that support inhuman and oppressive treatment of children. Various "childist" concepts categorize children as property, uncivilized devils, lumps of clay, tiny adults, or infallible angels. Exploitation, abuse, neglect, and unrealistic parent attitudes and behavior may result from such childist beliefs. Viewing the child as a developing person includes the beliefs that children are persons of worth and full citizens sharing basic rights to life, safety, happiness, equality of treatment, equality of opportunity, reasonable self-determination, and due process. Because children are developing persons, their potential for growth, loving, and significance can be realized or thwarted and damaged. How children are valued and nurtured is of the utmost importance. Needs for adequate nutrition and health, justice, love, education, and meaningful work are best met in a manner appropriate to children's developmental status. As persons, children organize perceptions of "self" and "world" into a meaningful life-world and act in accordance with it. Because children are developing persons, their experientially learned perceptions of self and others, of justice and democracy, of human life and human relationships are also of the utmost importance. (RH)