Teachers are the only professionals outside the family who have significant daily interactions with children. The school's role and responsibilities rest mainly in the areas of prevention, identification, and reporting. Therefore, prevention, identification, referral, and reporting of child abuse and neglect need to be part of teacher training. The first step is to ensure the commitment and motivation regarding the crucial role of the teacher. Training should cover the nature of child abuse, their roles and the roles of other adults involved in the care and development of children, the dynamics of working with groups, and identification and reporting procedures. The four concerns that should shape the format and structure of the curriculum should be the avoidance of emotional overload, varied modes of presentation, the involvement of community people and agencies, and the recognition of the need for emotional outlets. 9 references