Social and Emotional Development at the Early Childhoood Level

For the next several weeks, we will focus on the importance of social and emotional education. This week we will discuss current research and theory on social-emotional development, how Abintra embodies this knowledge, and how guides execute this type of learning in the early childhood program. Next week we will outline the stages of play and social interaction, and provide suggestions for how you can support your child's social-emotional development.

The development of social skills is a life-long process that is affected by many factors such as individual temperament, sense of security, and level of autonomy. At Abintra, guides are sensitive to each child's strengths and weaknesses, and we work with them to become competent and empathetic community members. This guidance is the most profound influence that we can have on an individual child; this is an influence that extends far beyond our classrooms, or even our campus. Take a closer look at Abintra's vision and mission statements and you will see that our community is largely defined by its commitment to educating children for life.

At the early childhood level, attention to social and emotional development is pervasive. Through modeling, direct instruction, and the use of positive discipline techniques, we steer children toward:

• Emotional intelligence (recognizing emotions in the self and others),
• Emotional regulation (expression of emotional states in socially appropriate ways),
• Empathetic behavior (care and respect for one's community and environment),
• Active community involvement.

Social-emotional skills form the foundation upon which all learning takes place. Research indicates that deficits in social and emotional skills negatively impact academic performance in grades beyond kindergarten. Traditional preschools can now select from a variety of curriculum models designed to try to close this gap. Studies show that the most effective interventions for social-emotional development combine classroom-level learning with parent education programs (sound familiar?).