Preparing emotionally competent early educators

A child’s impressionable brain achieves 90% of its development in the years from birth to age 5 (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000). So, if we want young children to be prepared to succeed in K-12 learning, then we ought to ensure that early childhood educators know how to take advantage of this developmental window. This starts with building their capacity to understand children’s emotions.

In the October 2021 Kappan, Josh Thompson and Zlata Stanković-Ramirez describe how the National Association for the Education of Young Children, through its standards for developmentally appropriate practice, calls on teachers to get to know the individual children in their care and build nurturing relationships with them in ways that respond to their specific cultural contexts. However, as Shantel Meek explains in her interview, the quality of childcare programs in the U.S. is wildly uneven (Heller, 2021). Further, a lack of well-trained early educators has been a long-standing problem in the field (Preston, 2021).

So, in addition to expanding access to childcare and ensuring that it is developmentally appropriate and equitable, as the October Kappan authors propose, we must also provide high-quality, effective professional development and training opportunities for early childhood teachers (Lipscomb et al., 2021). In particular, teachers must learn to recognize and manage their own emotions, stress, and anxieties so they can better model emotional competence, self-regulation, and empathy for their students. When they master these skills and are trained to successfully teach them to children in their care, we see children who are more confident and empathetic; better able to deal effectively with and manage their emotions and behavior; and more academically, socially, and personally successful (Housman, Denham, & Cabral, 2018). Emotional competence is a foundation for lifelong learning and success, but it starts in the early years, and it starts with our teachers.

When we integrate emotional competencies into childcare systems, we see a transformation throughout the school community.

Quality training and professional development opportunities for early childhood educators must do more than merely address emotional competencies in passing. To be able to help their students navigate their emotions in the heat of the moment, at any point during the day, teachers need consistent support, coaching, feedback, and mentoring (Will, 2020). When we integrate emotional competencies into childcare systems, we see a transformation throughout the school community. Educators receive the skills to understand and manage their own emotions, stress, and anxiety, so that they are better able to handle the myriad challenges that occur in any preschool environment and can serve as models for their students (Stone, 2021). This type of training can elevate childcare and the profession, but it must be consistent. When educators receive consistent, habitual training opportunities they feel empowered and have the personal and professional satisfaction they need to thrive.

Emotional competence must be at the heart of every childcare center or preschool program. Social and emotional development happens early. All educators and support staff need training rooted in emotional competence to ensure that every child is heard, respected, and given the opportunity to succeed. When schools offer such high-quality professional development and training opportunities, parents can breathe a little easier knowing that their child’s development and mental health will be promoted, fostered, and supported so their children will thrive not just in learning but in life.

References

Heller, R. (2021). Toward policies that promote access and equity in early education: A conversation with Shantel Meek. Phi Delta Kappan, 103 (2), 24-27.

Housman, D.K., Denham, S.A., & Cabral, H. (2018). Building young children’s emotional competence and self-regulation from birth: The begin to . . . ECSEL approach. International Journal of Emotional Education, 10 (2), 5-25.

Lipscomb, S.T., Chandler, K.D., Abshire, C., Jaramillo, J., & Kothari, B. (2021). Early childhood teachers’ self-efficacy and professional support predict work engagement. Early Childhood Education Journal.

Preston, T. (2021). Preschool perspectives in Kappan. Phi Delta Kappan, 103 (2), 5-7.

Shonkoff, J.P. & Phillips, D. (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. National Academy of Sciences.

Stone, E. (2021, May 6). Self-regulation matters — not only for students, but for teachers too. Housman Institute Blog.

Thompson, J. & Stanković-Ramirez, Z. (2021). What early childhood educators know about developmentally appropriate practice. Phi Delta Kappan, 103 (2), 20-23.

Will, M. (2020, April 7). The success of social-emotional learning hinges on teachers. Education Week.

This article appears in the November 2021 issue of Kappan, Vol. 103, No. 3, p. 68.