Know

Consider all the different people in your life. At home, your relationships might include your spouse, parents, children, other family members, and friends. You also have relationships with the children you care for and their families, the person who delivers your mail, your health-care provider, your neighbors, and others in your community. How important are your relationships to your daily life and well-being? What would your life be like without those relationships?

Without positive relationships, it would be difficult to achieve a sense of belonging and acceptance or to feel like you are part of a community. Relationships are at the foundation of social-emotional health. Children spend the first years of their lives creating deep bonds with their families and caregivers. As they mature, they are ready to begin developing strong relationships and bonds with their peers, teachers, and other individuals.

What is Social-Emotional Development?

Children begin developing social-emotional skills at birth. Research indicates that children are born ready to connect with other people in their environment. The infant’s brain matures as a result of their interactions. When a child’s emotional and physical needs are met, learning pathways in the brain are formed, which leads to learning in all developmental domains. Emotional signals, such as smiling, crying, or demonstrating interest and attention, strongly influence the behaviors of others. Similarly, the emotional reactions of others affect children’s social behaviors. As children mature and develop, their social-emotional skills become less centered on having their own needs met by their caregivers and more focused on participating in routines and enjoying experiences with friends and caregivers.

Adults assist children as they form positive feelings toward themselves, others, and the larger world. Young children develop and learn in the context of relationships. When children are encouraged, nurtured, and accepted by adults and peers, they are more likely to be well-adjusted. On the contrary, children who are neglected, rejected, or abused are at risk for social and mental health challenges.

Supporting the social and emotional health of the children in your care is important because:

• Early relationships set the stage for healthy brain development
• Relationships and interactions with important caregivers impact the development of relationships with others
• Poor social, emotional, and behavioral skills impact academic achievement
• Early intervention and support can reduce the need for higher-cost interventions later

Take a moment to think about what social-emotional development means to you. What comes to mind? How do you explain social-emotional development to others? According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), social and emotional development (also called social-emotional learning) consists of the following five core components:

The Role of Family in Social Emotional Development

Children develop social-emotional skills in the context of their relationships with their primary caregivers, families, and cultures. Considering how diverse our society is, you can imagine that this diversity is also expressed in how families from different cultures teach children to manage emotions, socialize, and engage with others. For example, in some cultures, children are taught that it is respectful to avoid eye contact when communicating with adults. For other cultures, eye contact is an essential component of social interaction. Culture also affects parenting practices and ways individuals deal with emotions, including handling stress and coping with adversity.

Family priorities affect social-emotional competence. For example, some families might place a high value on talking about emotions and expressing them as they occur, whereas other families may value the opposite. As a family child care provider, you need to be sensitive and respectful of individual differences in social-emotional development when engaging with children in your care and their families.

Young children’s social and emotional development is critical to their ability to be successful in relationships with others at home, school, and in the community. As a family child care provider, you play an important role in helping children develop their social and emotional competence.

See

Do

All children need nurturing, warm, relationship-based care in order to develop socially and emotionally. It is through caring relationships that children learn how to get along with others. You are an important role model in the lives of the children you care for. Therefore:

• Always be positive and respectful when interacting with children and other adults (your own family members, parents of children you care for, neighbors, etc.).
• Express your own emotions in a positive way. Stay calm when under pressure and keep your emotions regulated.
• Be aware of your body language and keep it positive.
• Communicate regularly with all children you care for and their parents.

Completing this Course

For more information on what to expect in this course, the Social & Emotional Development Competency Reflection, and a list of the accompanying Learn, Explore and Apply resources and activities offered throughout the lessons, visit the Family Child Care Social & Emotional Development Course Guide. 

Please note the References & Resources section at the end of each lesson outlines reference sources and resources to find additional information on the topics covered. As you complete lessons, you are not expected to review all the online references available. However, you are welcome to explore the resources further if you have interest, or at the request of your trainer, coach, or administrator.