This paper argues that to fulfil what is required of a model of children's spiritual development in the context of secular educative care, six criteria must be met: the meaning of the terms and nature of the phenomenon must both be specified; the relationship to an underlying ontology must be clarified and the status of alternatives characterized; the sense in which spirituality is developmental and open to change through intervention must be identified and which specific developmental changes are "spiritual" designated; there must be consistency with an accepted paradigm for the understanding and study of human development; the role and status of spiritual development within a secular system of educative care needs explanation; consequential practical implications must be specified. In suggesting this is an unfulfilled requirement, the challenges posed by each of these criteria are identified.