More and more teachers report the increasing incidence of crises in children's lives, crises that interfere with the child's ability to learn. Noting that developmentally appropriate curricula must respond to the issues of immediate concern and interest to children, this source book assists teachers in facing difficult issues in the classroom and provides effective strategies for addressing these challenging problems. Chapter one of the source book describes the caregiver's role and provides general problem-solving techniques. Chapter two assists teachers in avoiding burnout by providing stress management techniques. The next 19 chapters deal with specific crises and tragedy situations children may face: (1) child illness and hospitalization; (2) family member illness; (3) child or family member with HIV/AIDS; (4) death of family member or friend; (5) separation and divorce; (6) after the divorce; (7) natural disasters; (8) child abuse; (9) child sexual abuse; (10) domestic violence; (11) substance abuse in the family; (12) community violence; (13) television violence; (14) including children with special needs; (15) racism and prejudice; (16) sexism; (17) including children from many cultures; (18) poverty and unemployment; and (19) homelessness. Each chapter includes a description of the problem, insights from child development, when to seek help, how to respond, and suggestions of resources and organizations. The final section of the source book covers crisis and curriculum, and addresses program design, curriculum ideas and activities, and helping children learn to manage their behavior. (SD)