Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock
()
or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Social and Emotional Development is one of the five central domains of the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF). It focuses on children's ability to create and sustain meaningful relationships with adults and other children. These resources explore the ways children learn to express, recognize, and manage their own emotions, as well as respond appropriately to others' emotions.
Other ELOF domains include Approaches to Learning; Language and Literacy; Cognition; and Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development.
Helping young children learn to manage their emotions and behavior requires training and support. Learn how to help staff understand and address children's behaviors and create supportive learning environments.
All behavior is a form of communication that has meaning. Learn about the form and function of children's behaviors.
The Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) helps education staff understand the typical progression of development. Find out which ELOF domains connect to children's behaviors.
Learn how preschoolers show increased independence in managing their emotions, using adults as guides for big emotions, and finding coping strategies. Find standards for promoting social and emotional development.
Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers develop within the context of relationships with significant adults in their lives. Explore the importance of relationships to young children's social and emotional development.
Knowing about temperament helps adults understand why children react to events differently and individualize supports to regulate those reactions. Learn about the types and roles of matching temperaments.
Explore the parts culture and language play in understanding young children's behaviors and how they express their feelings.
Children with suspected delays and identified disabilities may behave and interact differently than their typically developing peers. Find out about providing context for children's behaviors and what they mean.
Supporting children's social and emotional development has always been part of Head Start program services. Learn how to identify social, emotional, and behavioral issues and ways to address them.
Explore four types of suspension and expulsion and why programs must prohibit them. Find regulations and resources that address prohibiting suspension and expulsion.
HeadStart.gov
official website of the Administration for Children and Families
