Recognizing the importance of helping children develop coping skills to deal with daily separations and more serious losses, this handbook provides basic information and classroom support strategies for teachers and caregivers to use responsively with preschoolers. Parts 1 through 3 of the handbook provide a rationale for responding to the emotional needs of children dealing with losses; discuss how to use the handbook, including the use of older adults as an important resource; and present Mahler's theoretical account of the impact of separation and loss on identity. Parts 4 and 5 contain a staff development training module and parent information. Part 6, the bulk of the handbook, is comprised of 31 classroom chapters, each addressing a specific type of loss. These chapters are divided into four units, each representing categories of loss experiences: (1) developmental losses, such as loss of transition objects, substitute teachers, and toileting accidents; (2) life experience losses, such as bodily injury, a pet's death, and moving; (3) traumatic loss, including hospitalization, news reports of a disaster, and parental separation or divorce; and (4) catastrophic loss, specifically death of a family member or loss due to fire. Each chapter also contains information about typical feelings and behavioral responses, tips for communicating with parents, phrases and ideas which can be incorporated into normal classroom routines, classroom activities addressing the specific issues raised by the loss experience either directly through pretend play or indirectly by focusing on underlying issues, and lists of relevant children's books. Contains 54 references. (KB)