California Preschool Learning Foundations - ECEZero2Three ...

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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Likewise, these foundations must
be used carefully for children with
special needs. Children who have
physical or mental challenges, neurodevelopmental
disorders, or other special
needs proceed developmentally in
ways that are similar to, but also different
from, more typically developing
children. Again, the research literature
is limited regarding the documentation
of age-related changes in social and
emotional competencies. Furthermore,
because the examples illustrating each
of these competencies are written with
typically developing children in mind,
they may not be consistently relevant
to children with special needs. Caregivers
and teachers will be relied on for
the insight needed to understand how
these foundations can be applied to
the children in their care.
It is important, then, to acknowledge
that the research literature providing
a basis for these foundations draws
on populations of children that vary
widely in their diversity and, thus,
must be considered carefully.
Young children acquire social and
emotional competencies in ways that
are often different from how they
acquire competence in the naming of
letters or numbers. As illustrated in
this section, social-emotional skills
emerge through children’s experience
in close relationships and the varied
activities that occur in relational
experience, such as shared conversation,
warm nurturance, and guided
assistance in learning capacities for
sociability, responsibility, and selfcontrol.
Social and emotional skills
also develop through the shared activities
of a developmentally appropriate,
well-designed preschool environment.
In such settings (and at home) and
under the guidance of sensitive teachers,
young children develop an understanding
of other people’s feelings and
needs, are encouraged to feel empathy
and caring, learn to manage their own
behavior as responsible group members,
and acquire a variety of other
capabilities that will be directly relevant
to their success in managing the
classroom environment of kindergarten
or the primary grades.
Last, but perhaps most important,
play is a central context for social and
emotional development in early childhood.
Although these foundations
focus specifically on developmental
changes in only one kind of play (specifically,
pretend play), it is apparent
that many kinds of play contribute to
social-emotional competence in preschoolers,
including social play with
caregivers and peers, play with toys
and other objects, structured group
activities, and even games with rules.
One conclusion to be derived from this
observation is that play is an essential
cornerstone of healthy social and emotional
development in early childhood
and contributes to the skills necessary
for adjustment to and success in
school. This conclusion is reflected in
the fact that one-third of the examples
illustrating these competencies are
based on children’s experience in play.
Play is a central context for social
and emotional development
in early childhood.
The preparation of these foundations
enlisted many sources, including
documents from the CDE detailing
developmental expectations in relevant
domains for older and younger children.
Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 1 • California Department of Education