Do Early Social Skills Predict Adult Well-being?

Is it possible to tell whether a kindergartner is more likely to end up in prison or in college? Researchers at Penn State University and Duke University say the answer is “yes.”

A groundbreaking 20-year study (funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published in the July 2015 issue of the American Journal of Public Health) analyzed what happened to nearly 800 kindergarteners after their teachers measured their social and emotional skills in 1991. Researchers monitored these students and the positive and negative milestones each obtained until they turned 25.

The results revealed that social-emotional skills in kindergarten are a key factor in predicting how likely the children were to finish high school, complete a college degree, and have a career, or end up dealing with such issues as crime, drug use, and public housing.

Read the full article here.

Here at Children’s Council, we’re committed to connecting families to high quality child care that will support their child’s social-emotional development. Supportive child care environments often include playing games, eating meals together, encouraging children to identify their feelings, and helping them resolve conflicts. Our expert counselors are here to help you understand your child’s needs and how that aligns with various child care programs.