Promotion of social-emotional competence in early childhood

Early promotion of social-emotional skills as a preventive intervention in order to support this key development area shows short-and long-term effects on positive social behavior, learning motivation, and academic success, as well as physical and mental health of children. In this paper, structured programs for different target and age groups, i.e., caregivers of toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary school children are presented. Opportunities and limits of early promotion are highlighted. Thus, children at risk particularly benefit from an early promotion of social-emotional competence. Finally, recommendations for the use of developmental screenings and programs in ( early) educational institutions are pronounced on the basis of evaluation results. A three-tiered model, which allows an individual and need-based support planning, is introduced.