Teachers know how to educate young children, but many feel ill-prepared when faced with students' emotional issues in the classroom. This book is intended as a resource for early childhood teachers who find themselves in the middle of such "sensitive situations." The information is presented by using a fictional, but typical, scenario that might occur in the classroom (e.g., four-year-old Carla frequently comes to school with bruises on her arms and legs), followed by background information about that issue and general suggestions for handling the situation. The scenarios are situation specific and include: child abuse, family violence, death, divorce, substance abuse, homelessness, AIDS, fear, and discipline. The background information features an overview of that particular emotional trauma, outlines ways to help teachers diagnose the situation, and describes ways that the child may feel. This information is followed by specific steps that teachers can take to recognize difficulties a child is having and what he or she can do to help the child. Three appendices offer further information on resource organizations, and contain a child's and a teacher's bibliography. (RJM)