1. Many children face serious stress in their family environment. Describe three signs that demonstrate a young child might be experiencing mental/emotional stress due to factors outside his/her early childhood setting and consequently might need special attention. What might early childhood professionals do in cases such as this to help alleviate a child's stress?
2. As you have been learning, early childhood educators have a responsibility to help provide mentally/emotionally healthy environments for children, themselves, and their colleagues. Drawing on Section 15.4 in your course text, define what you consider to be a mentally healthy early childhood environment. What specific stressors might you expect to find in an early childhood setting? How might you alleviate these stressors?
3. "Recording Health Status of Children", in your course text. Summarize the pros and cons of three different health status recording methods described in your readings. What challenges might early childhood professionals face in recording health observations in their settings? What solutions can you suggest for overcoming these challenges?