Recent school readiness efforts--and federal Head Start and No Child Left Behind requirements--call for an increased emphasis on teaching pre-reading and math skills to young children. But many experts feel that these efforts short-change children's social and emotional development--which, research says, is key to how well children do in school (see Research shows...social and emotional skills matter).

In March, Action Alliance for Children brought together experts from a variety of fields to outline ways that people who work with children can foster children's social and emotional skills. Recommendations included:

Early care and education programs should

• train teachers about social and emotional development, children's mental health, and the importance of the bond between teachers and children
• integrate social and emotional skills into curriculum and staff supervision
• improve teacher quality
• include the cultures and languages of all the children's families in the preschool program and make sure the teaching staff reflects the community being served
• provide family support services that empower parents as the educators of their children, and support relationship-building between parents and teachers.

Schools should

• integrate social and emotional development into the school curriculum, standards, and teacher training
• partner with early childhood education programs
• bring early childhood and kindergarten teachers together for team trainings
• include and respond to parents and support relationship-building between parents and teachers.
• include the cultures and languages of all the children's families and make sure the teaching staff reflects the community being served.

Health, social services, and family support agencies should

• train providers who work with children on social and emotional development
• train providers to welcome and respect parents—and make it easier for parents to get information and help for their child
• offer parenting support, education, and information in culturally appropriate ways
• provide mental health services for parents
• provide home visits after the birth of every child
• provide family support to prevent child abuse.

Parents should

• understand the importance of nurturing their relationship with their child--and teaching kindness, compassion, and consideration
• advocate for resources and funding that support children's social and emotional development.

Advocates should

• organize a media campaign about the need to foster children's social and emotional development as part of school readiness efforts. The campaign should include a tool kit, outreach to community leaders, hands-on activities for policymakers, and media events such as rallies

• call for increased funding for prevention-oriented services

• push for the most and best use of current funding sources, such as federal child welfare funds and state funds for mental health services created by last fall's Proposition 63

• push for mental health services and mental health consulting in child care and schools

• call for improved child care quality and training opportunities for teachers and other caregivers

• push for better access to health and mental health care for children and parents

• push for increased income supports (child care, earned income tax credits, etc) for parents

• educate and work with schools, child care, law enforcement, business, and parents in support of these goals.

Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin (updated 6-07)

• Social Emotional Development, from Zero to Three, compiles resources for families, professionals, and policymakers on fostering children's social and emotional development, including tips, reports, FAQs, and audio resources. Online at http://www.zerotothree.org/site/
  PageServer?pagename=key_social

• Social and Emotional Health in Early Childhood discusses understanding early childhood mental health in the context of child development, building systems of care, and infusing mental health promotion and intervention into early childhood services. $40. Brookes Publishing, 800-638-3775, summary online at http://www.brookespublishing.com/
  store/books/perry-67823/index.htm

• How Young Children Feel Is as Important as How They Think, from Action Alliance for Children, summarizes research showing the central role of social/emotional development in early childhood. Includes detailed recommendations, resources, and a research bibliography. Online at http://www.4children.org/images/pdf/SED_Rpt.pdf

To stay informed about new and upcoming Children’s Advocate articles, related resources, and advocacy opportunities, sign up for our Children’s Advocate bulletin