Social-emotional development is crucial in an early childhood setting as it can ultimately set up the child for success in the future. Social-emotional skills lay the foundation to developing literacy and cognitive skills which in turn lay the foundation for success in school and learning (Palmer, 2019). This resource can help you understand the importance of building social-emotional skills and how it can be supported during a child's early years. This resource can also help you understand what to look for in an early childhood program as far as their support for social-emotional development and how development is supported through their curriculum. 

Challenging behaviors can often be a concern to parents, especially during the toddler years. Positive guidance provides a positive environment to help support children as they navigate their emotions and understanding social-emotional development. Through positive guidance we can respond to children versus reacting to negative behaviors (PennState Extension, 2023). This resource can provide some ideas to use at home when dealing with difficult behaviors. Teaching strategies is an important concept to look at when selecting an early childhood center. A teaching strategy, such as positive guidance, creates an environment that helps build a child's competence and confidence (PennState Extension, 2023).