The period of early childhood sets the stage for how well children view themselves, each other, and their world. Shared positive emotional experiences between caregivers and children serve as building blocks for the development of social and emotional well-being in infants and toddlers. Incorporating the three principles of promotion, prevention, and intervention within a systems framework (child–parent–environment) will enable early childhood practitioners to foster the emotional health and well-being of all children and families, especially those individual children who are more vulnerable due to the presence of multiple risk factors. The primary intent of the authors of this paper is to discuss the importance of attending to the social and emotional well being of very young children as a primary focus of early learning and school success.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ascher, C. (1993). Changing schools for urban students: The School Development Program, Accelerated Schools, and Success for All. Trends and Issues No. 18. ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education. ED 355 313, New York
Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers (September, 1994). The Statement of the Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C
Biggar, H., & Pizzolongo, P. (2004). School readiness: More than abcs. Young Children, 59(3), 64–67
Blair C., (2002). School readiness: Integrating cognition and emotion in a neurobiological conceptualization of children’s functioning at school entry American Psychologist 57(2):111–127
Bonkowski S., Yanos J., (1992). Infant mental heatlh: An expanding field for social work Social Work 37(2):144–149
Butterfield P., (2002). Child care is rich in routines Zero To Three 22(4):29–33
Caine, R. N., & Caine, G. (1991). Making connections: Teaching and the human brain. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ED 335 141
Chazan-Cohen R., Jerald J., Stark D., (2001). A commitment to supporting the mental health of our youngest children Zero To Three 22(1):4–12
DeGangi (2000). Pediatric disorders of regulation in affect and behavior. San Diego, CA: Academic Press
Dozier M., Chase Stovall K., Albus K., Bates B., (2001). Attachment for infants in foster care: the role of caregiver state of mind Child Development 72(i5):1467–1478
Emde R., Bertacchi J., Mann T., (2001). Organizational environments that support mental health Zero To Three 22(1):67–69
Fiese B., (2002). Routines of daily living and rituals in family life: a glimpse at stability and change during the early child-raising years Zero To Three 22(4):4–9
Fitzgerald H., Montanez M., (2001). Fathers as facilitators of infant mental health: Implications for early head start Zero To Three 22(1):25–28
Hammond-Ratzlaff A., Fulton A., (2001). Knowledge gained by mothers enrolled in a home visitation program Adolescence 36(il43):435–448
Honig A., (2002). Secure relationships: Nurturing infant/toddler attachment in early care settings National Association for the Education of Young Children Washington, DC
Horowitz, J., Bell, M., Trybulski, J., Munro, B., Moser, D., Hartz, S., McCordic, L., & Sokol, E. (2001). Promoting responsiveness between mothers with depressive symptoms and their infants. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 33(i4),323–327
Hunt N., Marshall K., (2001). Exceptional children and youth (3rd edition).Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Hyson, M. (1994) The emotional development of young children: Building an emotion-centered curriculum. New York, NY: Teachers College Press
Meisels, S. (2001). Myths and meanings of early childhood readiness. Keynote address. Presented at the 2001. San Diego, CA: National Training Institute of Zero To Three
The National Association for the Education of Young Children and The National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education Position Statement: Early learning standards: Creating the conditions for success. Executive Summary. 2002
Ong, L., Boo, N., & Chandran, V. (2001). Predictors of neurodevelopmental outcome of Malaysian very low birthweight children at 4 years of age. Journal of Paediatric Child Health, 37(4), 363–368
Parker J., Asher S., (1987). Peer relations and later personal adjustment: Are low accepted children at risk? Psychological Bulletin 102:357–389
Parlakian, R., & Seibel, N. (2002). Building strong foundations: Practical guidance for promoting the social-emotional development of infants and toddlers. Washington, DC: Zero to Three
Pianta, R., (1999). Enhancing relationships between children and teachers. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association ED 435 073
Randolph S., Koblinsky S., (2001). The sociocultural context of infant mental health in african american families Zero To Three 22(1):29–38
Rosenkoetter S., Barton L., (2002). Bridges to literacy: Early routines that promote later school success Zero To Three 22(4):33–38
Samartin C., Segovia S., Schmidt-Mendez M., Campos A., Escamilla V., (2001). Infant mental health at Hope Street is everybody’s business Zero To Three 22(1):59–62
Schmeelk E., Ponirakis A., Gariepy J., (2001). Maternal prenatal, postpartum, and concurrent stressors and temperament in 3-year olds: a person and variable analysis Developmental Psychopathology 13(3):629–652
Shonkoff, J., & Phillips, D., (Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development, Board on Children, Youth, and Families. National Research Council
Solchany J., Barnard K., (2001). Is mom’s mind on her baby? infant mental in Early Head Start. Zero To Three 22(1):39–47
Vacca, J. (2001). Promoting positive infant-caregiver attachment: The role of the early interventionist and implications for parent training. Infants and Young Children, 13(4)
Vacca, J., & Feinberg, E. (2000). Why can’t families be more like us: Henry Higgins confronts Eliza Doolittle in the world of early intervention. Infants and Young Children, 13(1)
Walker H., Colvin G., Ramsey G., (1995). Antisocial behavior in school: Strategies and best practices Brooks/Cole Pacific Grove, CA
Walker, H., Stiller, B., & Golly, A. (1999). First step to success: A collaborative home–school intervention for preventing antisocial behavior at the point of school entry. In M. Ostrosky & S. Sandall (Eds.), Young exceptional children: Practical ideas for addressing challenging behaviors, Monograph series (Vol. 76, pp. 41–48). Denver, CO: Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children
Weatherston D., (2001). Relationships for learning: Early Head Start infant mental health in Jackson, Michigan Zero To Three 22(1):57–58
Webster-Stratton C., Reid M., Hammond M., (2001). Preventing conduct problems. Promoting social competence: A parent and teacher training partnership in Head Start. Journal of Clinical Psychology 30(3):283–302
Zeanah, C., Jr., & Zeanah, P. (2001). Towards a definition of infant mental health. Zero To Three, 22(1), 13–20
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bagdi, A., Vacca, J. Supporting Early Childhood Social-Emotional Well Being: The Building Blocks for Early Learning and School Success. Early Childhood Educ J 33, 145–150 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-005-0038-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-005-0038-y