- Children with challenging behaviors are at greater risk for abuse. Identifying and working with children early to keep their development on track helps keep them safe.
- The bread-and-butter of early childhood programs - helping children develop socially and emotionally - also has impact on the way parents and children interact. For instance, as children learn to verbalize their emotions rather than act them out, they are more able to tell parents how they feel, what they need, and how parental actions make them feel. Parents can then be more responsive to their children's needs - and less likely to yell or hit.
- Children who have experienced or witnessed violence in particular need a safe environment, trained staff and opportunities to develop normally.
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- Direct teaching of social skills - e.g., how to share and be respectful of others - and emotional skills - e.g., expressing feelings.
- Timely action when there is a concern: asking another teacher or staff member to observe, talking with the parent, bringing in a consultant. Staff may pick up issues parents do not, because they are more trained (e.g., a child being sexually abused by a neighbor).
- Art programs that allow children to express themselves in ways other than words, many of which involve a take-home component that bring parents into the activity, too.
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