Fact Sheet: Vulnerable Young Children



This fact sheet provides data on a variety of risk factors that cause high stress in infants, toddlers, and young children. Program staff and families may find this information useful for meeting the emotional needs of children in their care. These risk factors were identified in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004). To read PDF files, get here.

Fact Sheet: Vulnerable Young Children The following document describes many of the risk factors that are linked to high-stress in early childhood, including substantiated abuse or neglect, foster care placement, homelessness, exposure to family violence and prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol. It should be noted that these risk factors often co-occur with other serious risk factors, such as extreme poverty, environmental toxins, parental substance abuse, and post-natal and parental mental health problems, especially maternal depression. Full Text » [PDF, 239KB]

Fact Sheet: Vulnerable Young Children. Shaw, E and Goode, S. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, FPG Child Development Institute, National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center. 2008. English.