Risk Assessment of Four-year-Old Girl We each have a range of possibilities before us from the moment that we are born. However, we are each also at least in some ways limited from the moment of our birth because we do not come into the world as if we were a blank slate. This paper examines the ways in which one child had many of her "choices" already made for her. (The girl is now twelve.) This include her parents' background and history as well as limitations (and opportunities) determined by physical disabilities.

The first part of this assessment is related to the child's father. He is self-employed as a general contractor. He finished high school and speaks English at home. There are no specific warning signs in terms of his status. He seems to be relatively stable, although being self-employed clearly brings about a certain instability that does not exist for those who are employed by others. Being self-employed suggests that he may not have access to affordable health insurance and so quality healthcare.

On the other hand, his status as self-employed means that he is more than likely relatively autonomous and so can be available as a parent more easly than those with a less flexible schedule.

Finally, his educational level is an important part of any assessment of opportunities for his daughter's future. Certainly it is often the case that individuals receive either more or less education than their parents, but the parents' educational level is a strong indicator of the educational level that the children...

In the current economy, a high school education is likely to be adequate but no more than adequate. The child lives with the father.
The mother, who is divorced from the child's father, has some increased "risk" factors for the child, although these are mitigated by the fact that she seems to have a relatively much smaller role in her daughter's life. The mother did not finish high school, most probably because she gave birth to the child when she was sixteen. The fact that the mother has little formal education suggests that the daughter may not receive support that would be extremely helpful as she develops.

While the educational level of both parents is important, research has shown that the educational level of mother's is especially important.

Additional research that shows that uniquely the mother's education has asignificant impact on her children's learning process. Benjamin Ann says, "[T]he mother's education if one of the most important factors influencing children's reading levels and other school achievements…Generally, traditional research has revealed that more highly educated mothers have greater success in providing their children with the cognitive and language skills that contribute to early success in school. (Gratz, 2006, p. 5)

The fact that a mother's educational level is usually more important than the father's arises from the fact that in most cases the mother is more involved in and concerned with her child (ren)'s education than is their father. This may not be the case with this family because of the custodial arrangements.

The above factors are generally very…