Social-Emotional Health
Good social-emotional health is a key component of children's health and healthy development. The early years of life present a unique opportunity to lay the foundation for healthy development. Starting from birth, babies are learning who they are by how they are treated. Young toddlers are starting to develop a sense of self-awareness - that they are separate and independent from others. Loving relationships give young children a sense of comfort, safety, confidence, and encouragement. Resources in this section can be used by early interventionist in relationship-based approaches with families to support good social-emotional health.
- Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL)
- MDE- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) (michigan.gov)
- National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
- Social Emotional Fact Sheet (PDF) - Posted:05/05/2022
- Social Emotional Guide for Families (PDF) - Posted:05/05/2022
- Teaching Young Children About Feelings
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) focuses on promoting the social-emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5. CSEFEL is a national resource center funded by the Office of Head Start and Child Care Bureau for disseminating research and evidence-based practices to early childhood programs and services across the country.
During the early years, children are learning about relationships, feelings, and self-control. Teaching Your Child About Feelings from Birth to Age 2 describes practical activities and strategies to help infants and toddlers start to learn names for and express those emotions. Written for parents, the handout has useful ideas for all educators as well. Fran suggests Ms. Li check out Circle Time Magazine's Noticing Feelings–Teaching Emotional Literacy and Regulation. The web-based show and print magazine dig into ways that educators can help children ages birth to 5 build their emotional literacy and self-regulation skills. Both of these resource suggestions are available in Spanish (español).
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Childhood Trauma
- Childhood Trauma: Understanding, Supporting and Preventing
This self-paced online module was created by the Military Families Learning Network’s Early Intervention team to explore childhood trauma, disability, and trauma-informed practices in early childhood settings.
The interactive module includes four units that cover the prevalence and impact of trauma, manifestation of trauma in young children, providing trauma-informed supports, and preventing future trauma. It is designed to be a high-level overview of the topic and a starting point for professionals working with young children and their families.
Michigan SCECHs are available for this training.