Social Emotional Skills in Kindergarten Linked to Later Success

A study published in American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) found that children’s prosocial skills predict key successful outcomes for adolescents and adults including education levels, employment stability, and increased mental well being.

The study -- Early Social-Emotional Functioning and Public Health: The Relationship Between Kindergarten Social Competence and Future Wellness --  found a "unique predictive nature of early social competence on important outcomes in late adolescence and early adulthood."

The study's conclusion states: 

"The growing body of literature that demonstrates the importance of noncognitive skills in development should motivate policymakers and program developers to target efforts to improve these skills to young children. Much evidence has shown how effective intervention in preschool and the early elementary years can improve childhood noncognitive skills in a lasting way... Enhancing these skills can have an impact in multiple areas and therefore has potential for positively affecting individuals as well as community public health substantially."

Read the study
Ready the CNN article

[This blog post was originally published by the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America]