Social & Emotional Development: For Our Youngest Learners & Beyond

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Perhaps more than ever, mental health and social interactions have been on the minds of many over the past year. A pandemic, ongoing systemic injustices, and a contentious political season combined to create uncertainty and stress for adults and children alike. What do these stressors mean for the mental health of our youngest learners? In what ways can early childhood educators nurture the social and emotional lives and learning of children from birth through age 8?
This issue of听Young Children听offers research-supported responses to these questions with a cluster of articles devoted to intentional practices that promote social and emotional development: The first four articles in this cluster focus on the specific social and emotional needs of infants and toddlers, and the development of these important articles represents a unique collaboration between 强奸视频 and to collectively concentrate our respective journals on the emotional health of infants and toddlers.
The catalyst for this issue was threefold:
- the shared interest in supporting the early childhood education workforce to have the resources and tools necessary for meeting the needs of the youngest children in their care
- the understanding that social and emotional development is critical to learning and a fundamental aspect of infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH)
- the recognition of the power of collaboration to elevate the vital role of early childhood educators in supporting IECMH
Mary Jane Maguire-Fong opens this听Young Children听cluster with 鈥淲hat Babies Ask of Us: Contexts to Support Learning about Self and Other.鈥 She details how early childhood educators can listen to, observe, and guide infants and toddlers through thoughtfully prepared play spaces, daily routines, and everyday interactions. In 鈥溾榊ou鈥檙e Okay鈥 May Not be Okay: Using Emotion Language to Promote Toddlers鈥 Social and Emotional Development,鈥 Elizabeth K. King harnesses that keen awareness and planning to outline how educators can use anti-oppressive emotion language strategies with toddlers.
Tapping into these same powers of observation and reflection, Claire Vallotton, Jennifer Mortensen, Melissa Burnham, Kalli Decker, and Marjorie Beeghly present 鈥淏ecoming a Better Behavior Detective:听Applying a Developmental and Contextual Lens on Behavior to Promote Social and Emotional Development.鈥 Educators can use this 5-Step Reflective Cycle to identify and be responsive to infants鈥 and toddlers鈥 behaviors and needs. Of course, following these steps depends on our own emotional presence and well-being. In an accompanying piece to this article, Holly Hatton-Bowers and colleagues offer recommendations for 鈥淐ultivating Self-Awareness in 强奸视频 with Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families: Caring for Ourselves as We Care for Others.鈥
Finally, in 鈥淲hen in Doubt, Reach Out: Teaming Strategies for Inclusive Early Childhood Settings,鈥 Christine Spence, Deserai Miller, Catherine Corr, Rosa Milagros Santos, and Brandie Bentley capture how an early childhood educator learns to actively participate in early intervention processes through effective communication and collaboration. This cluster also features a special Rocking and Rolling column defining IECMH and outlining how early childhood educators play a role in fostering infants鈥 and toddlers鈥 emotional well-being.
For educators of older children, it is vital to understand that the roots of social and emotional learning begin in infancy. In addition to the cluster articles, you鈥檒l find pieces devoted to social and emotional learning in preschool and elementary settings, including articles that
- outline the ARC framework to help children learn to recognize and manage their emotions, particularly those who have experienced trauma
- describe effective strategies for fostering responsibility in young children
- distinguish between friendship and kindness in preschool settings
The articles in the听听explore a variety of issues related to IECMH in early childhood education settings, including: how infants鈥 and toddlers鈥 mental health is paramount to their ability to form healthy relationships, regulate their emotions, and learn; the role of IECMH consultation, the impact of COVID, and equity and power dynamics; and trauma-informed care and the importance of teachers鈥 mental health, particularly in the context of multiple, long-term stressors affecting every layer of the early childhood education system and society as a whole. The issue also recognizes the valuable role of advocacy and policy and provides suggestions for how early childhood professionals can bring their expertise to influence effective policy change for babies and families.
We hope that the readers of听Young Children听and the听ZERO TO THREE Journal听will turn to both publications to discover perspectives and find valuable resources to support their work with infants, toddlers, and their families. Links to selected articles from each issue are available on each journal鈥檚 web page.
鈥擜nnie Moses, editor in chief, with Stefanie Powers, editor in chief,听ZERO TO THREE Journal, and Kathy Reschke, editorial assistant,听ZERO TO THREE Journal
Above: Children in Maureen Linnane鈥檚 toddler class used cardboard materials to create a collage.
Below:听This piece comes from Chandler, the young toddler son of an 强奸视频 staff member, as he explored art materials.
Is your classroom full of children鈥檚 artwork?听To feature it in听Young Children, see the link at the bottom of the page or email听[email protected]听for details.
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We鈥檇 love to hear from you!
Send your thoughts on this issue, and on topics you鈥檇 like to read about in future issues of Young Children, to听[email protected].
Would you like to see your children鈥檚 artwork featured in these pages? For guidance on submitting print-quality photos (as well as details on permissions and licensing), see听强奸视频.org/resources/pubs/authors-photographers/photos.
Annie Moses, PhD, is director of periodicals at 强奸视频 and听serves as听editor in chief of听Young Children听and听Teaching Young Children.

Stephanie Powers听is the听editor in chief at听ZERO TO THREE Journal.
Kathy L. Reschke, PhD, is senior content specialist for ZERO TO THREE. Dr. Reschke contributes to the design and development of competency-based professional development products and services. She developed the content for the ZERO TO THREE Critical Competencies for Infant-Toddler Educators鈩 course manuals, online course, and coaching program. [email protected]