Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) Preschool Links

CPP Eligibility Factor: Poor Social Skills of the Child
Clarification of Eligibility Factor	Poor social skills of the child (22-28- 106 (1) (a.5) (VIII) C.R.S.). This eligibility factor encompasses all aspects of a child’s social and emotional well-being, including: The ability to form satisfying relationshipswith adults and peers. The ability to understand and express emotions in socially acceptable ways. The ability to resolve conflict, and cope with challenges. The ability to meet developmentally appropriate social and behavioral expectations including self-regulation and social problem solving.
Significance of Factor in regards to School Readiness	Early learning and early social and emotional development are closely connected. Social and emotional development involves the acquisition of skills needed to play and work with peers, to regulate emotions in prosocial ways, to communicate with adults, to control negative emotions and be aware of social customs within one's community. A child’s emotional status affects early school performance, which in turn, predicts later school outcomes. Children who have difficulty with the following do less well in school: Paying attention Following directions Getting along with others Controlling negative emotions of anger and distress (Raver, 2002) When children’s challenging behavior persists, the problems are likely to worsen and become compounded by related problems including peer and adult rejection and coercive relationships. Early appearing behavior problems in a child’s preschool career are the single best predictor of delinquency in adolescence, gang membership and adult incarceration.
How It May Be Documented	Exclusion or expulsion from other preschool/child care programs or community activities Social services or medical referrals Parent interview questions/report Staff documentation on home visits or developmental assessments
Research References: Center for Evidence-Based Practice. (2004) Facts about young children with challenging behaviors. Retrieved August 25, 2009 from http://www.challengingbehavior.org/do/resources/documents/facts_about_sheet.pdf. Hymel, S. & Ford, L. (2003). School completion and academic success: The impact of early social-emotional competence. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. Retrieved on July 2, 2009, from http://www.enfant-encyclopedie.com/pages/PDF/Hymel-FordANGxp.pdf Huffman, L. C., Mehlinger, S. L., & Kerivan, A. S. (2000). "Risk factors for academic and behavioral problems at the beginning of school," as found in A Good Beginning: Sending America's Children to School. with the Social and Emotional Competence They Need to Succeed (monograph). Bethesda, MD: The Child Mental Health Foundations and Agencies Network. Retrieved June 2, 2010, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED445810.pdf Logue, M.E. (January 2007). Early childhood learning standards: Tools for promoting social and academic success in kindergarten. Children & Schools, 29(1), 35-43. Raver, C.C. (2002). Emotions matter: Making the case for the role of young children’s emotional development for early school readiness. Social Policy Report. Retrieved on October 1, 2012, from http://www.srcd.org/Documents/Publications/SPR/spr16-3.pdf Raver, C. & Knitzer, J. (2002). Ready to enter: What research tells policymakers about strategies to promote social and emotional school readiness among three- and four-year-old children. National Center for Children in Poverty. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_485.pdf
Additional Resources for Families and Staff: Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children, http://www.challengingbehavior.org. Me, You, Us: Social-Emotional Learning in the Preschool by Anne Epstein, http://www.naeyc.org/store/node/663 Set for Success: Building a Strong Foundation for School Readiness Based on the Social-Emotional Development of Young Children, http://sites.kauffman.org/pdf/eex_brochure.pdf Promoting Children’s Social and Emotional Development Through Preschool Education, http://nieer.org/resources/policyreports/report7.pdf Challenging Behaviors and the Role of Preschool Education, http://nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/16.pdf