The Council is excited to announce the 2013 release of Essentials for Child Development Associates: Working with Young Children. The newly-revised textbook will be organized around each of the thirteen Functional Areas and other key topics of interest to contemporary teachers and caregivers.

Here is an advanced sneak peek of “Chapter 9: Social” for you to reflect on…

Part of growing up healthy is having a well-developed sense of self.  At the same time that children are feeling good about themselves and competent about their capabilities, we want them to feel good about being with, learning from and helping others. As much as we need self-esteem, we also need others in order to live a fulfilling life.

Learning to be social involves being comfortable with others and enjoying their company. Another part of being social involves building the skills necessary to engage with others. Both are needed for effective socialization.

Early childhood educators have a large role to play in facilitating children's social development. They do this by planning activities that put children together, arranging the room to promote social activities, working with children to promote play, friendship and conflict resolution and facilitating what are called “prosocial” behaviors; behaviors intended to benefit one another, such as helping, sharing, and comforting.