Social and emotional well being of young children in ECEC settings. A study conducted in five European countries
Children’s long term success at school is influenced as much by social, emotional and self-regulation skills as by academic skills and knowledge. The overall goal of SEED was to improve psychosocial well-being and healthy development of young children (2,5 to 6 years old), with an emphasis on those growing up in difficult circumstances such as children on the move, children with a low socio-economic status or children victims or witnesses of domestic violence. We did this by conducting a country level screening of psychosocial well-being of 5-year-old children in 5 countries in Europe.
The aim of this research study is firstly to assess the psychosocial well-being of 5-year-old children in ECEC settings infive countries in Europe (Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands and Norway) through interviews with ECEC practitioners and secondly to identify the factors in ECEC settings that promote and hinder children’s psychosocial well-being in each country.The study is part of European project titled: SEED (Social and Emotional Education and Development). The activities in SEED, including this research study, are designed to draw attention to the importance of psychosocial well-being for children’s learning and development, and support the continuing professional development of practitioners working with 2.5 to 6 year-olds in this area. The SEED Project is funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme –Strategic partnerships for school education.