Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning 1

Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning

Stephanie Campbell

Arkansas Tech University

Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning 2

Abstract

Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning (ECSEL) plays an important in role the

development of the whole child. Providing positive social and emotional development is the

foundation for school readiness in programs for infants, toddlers, and their families. Cognitive

and social-emotional development are interconnected and build upon each other. Teaching

children emotional control, cognitive awareness and social skills are setting children up for life

long success and addressing childrens challenging behavior in order to intervene.

Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning 3

Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning (ECSEL) plays an important in role the

development of the whole child. Providing positive social and emotional development is the

foundation for school readiness in programs for infants, toddlers, and their families. Cognitive

and social-emotional development are interconnected and build upon each other. Building

positive and healthy relationships promote learning and early childhood programs can support

these domains through providing support to their familys. A quality early learning program will

properly build a childs skill set with each one of these domains and address any areas of

concern.

What does Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning (ECSEL) curriculum look

like in the preschool class? The Creative Curriculum for Preschool (Dodge, Colker &

Heroman, 2002) focuses on childrens active learning through play and stresses the importance

of social and emotional development for learning. Each classroom has 11 interest areas: blocks,

dramatic play, toys and games, art, library, discover, sand and water, music and movement,

cooking computers, and outdoors. The curriculum has six content areas (literacy, mathematics,

science, social studies, the arts, and technology), and learning in each of these content areas

occurs in each of the 11 interest areas. For examples, literacy activities are infused throughout

each of the 11 interest areas, rather than just in the library area or during book reading activities

(Heroman & Jones, 2004). Teachers label toy boxes with drawings of the toys they contain, as

well as with the words naming the toys. The cooking area has picture-and-word instructions for
Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning 4

activities like washing hands. The daily schedule is posted with both pictures and words

outlining the days activities. (GOlinkoff,Hirsh-Pasek, & Singer, 2010). These guidelines set the

classroom up for successful cognitive early learning. The teachers are given a basic guide as to

what should be in their class and given the creativity to build upon those interests and set them

up to best fit their classroom. Each of these interest areas build upon another skill level such as in

art, developing the skill to ask for a certain item and being able to share the materials is required

thus building on language and cognitive development.

Social-emotional learning is described as a key still that all children need as they enter

school. These skills include managing emotions, self- confidence and the ability to develop

positive relationships with peers and adults. The early emergence of behavior difficulties and

the potential number of children exhibiting difficult behavior creates a challenge in promoting

social and emotional competence in early childhood settings. Of the children who engage in

problem behavior at a young age, it has been estimated that few than 10% receive appropriate

services for these difficulties (Kazdin & Kendall, 1998). (Hemmeter, Ostrosky, & Fox, 2006).

Children who are quality care environments are more likely to receive help which in turns sets

them up for greater success in elementary school. These children are often given therapy or anger

management classes in which they are taught how to cope with their feelings. Once the child is

able to manage their feelings, they are able to maintain better control of themselves in a

classroom and are more receptive to learning. Peer and adult relationships are improving and

self- confidence is greater. For Families, interventions should focus on helping families identify

the skills and supports the child needs to engage in daily routines in home and community

settings. Engaging families as active participants in their childrens education during preschool is

an important outcome likely to have positive ramifications for their continued involvement as
Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning 5

children more into K-12 school settings (Fowler, 2015). By including families in the process of

intervention, they are also gaining the knowledge to implement better techniques at home with

the child. Also, giving the families the knowledge on how to properly support the child in daily

actives away from the school setting is expanding the childs ability to use the skills outside of

the classroom and thus more likely to see the positive outcome of the intervention.

How early does a child being to develop complex cognitive thought and how does this

effect the child transiting into elementary school? The pattern of finding suggests that concept

formation beings during infancy. The conclusion is supported further by studies on problem

solving, which are particularly relevant here. Several investigations show that children well

under 3 can learn concepts based on the use of tools for solving a problem (Flower, 2015). If a

childs cognitive abilities are hindered in infancy the child is playing catch-up for their whole life

or until intervention is obtained. Therefore, when a child is in a quality care center and the issue

is caught early on the child has a great chance of catching up and being caught up before

elementary school years have begun. Cognitive early intervention could mean the difference

between a child attending a regular kindergarten classroom or an Early Intervention Kindergarten

(IEK) program.

Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning (ECSEL), is the foundation for many

preschool classrooms. Teachers can compare children with functions that align with their age to

determine if a child is meeting age appropriate goals with ECSEL. Over the last several years,

there has been an increased focus on school readiness and supporting children during the

preschool years to learn the skills they need to be successful in elementary school and beyond

(Bowman, Donovan, Burns, et al,. 2000: Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000). The capacity to develop

positive social relationships, to concentrate and persist on challenging task, to effectively

Emotional, Cognitive, and Social Early Learning 6

communicate emptions, and to problem solve are just a few of the competencies young children

need to be successful as they transition to school. ( Hemmeter, Ostrosky, & Fox 2006). This

new focus is a step in the right direction to setting children up for elementary school success.

References

Golinkoff,R.,Hirsh-Pasek,K.,& Singer, D. (2010) Play=learning (1st ed.). Oxford University

Press

Hemmeter,M., Ostrosky,M., & Fox, L (2006). Social and Emotional Foundations for Early

Learning: A conceptual Model for Intervention. School Psychology Review,35.4(Winter),

583-601

Fowler, W. (2015). Cognitive learning in infancy and early childhood. American Psychological

Association, 59, 116-152.