Early-childhood researchers at the University of Nebraska have created a curriculum to help educators and care providers gain the information they need to help address kids’ social and emotional needs.
Data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation show that nearly 66,000 Nebraska children younger than 6 are not read to by a parent, which can affect their development.
Child-development researcher Lisa Knoche, a research professor and co-director of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children Youth, Families and Schools at the University of Nebraska, said the Nurture Nebraska program aims to boost awareness of the importance of children’s social and emotional development from birth to age 5.
“Social and emotional skills are things like managing emotions, collaborating with others, solving problems, resolving conflicts,” she said. “All of these skills are really important.”
Broken Bow early childhood educator Heather Schmidt agrees, saying that campaigns like Nurture Nebraska can make a difference in the lives of children and adults alike.
“Something as small as being able to give your emotions a name can have a lasting effect on social emotional development of children,” said Schmidt, “helping them become emotionally intelligent adults – adults who are kind, compassionate and empathetic.”
Knoche said research by the University of Nebraska shows that one in four children in the state face social, emotional or behavioral problems. She added that giving educators the skills to help develop kids’ social and emotional skills is important in a state where there are so many working parents.
“In Nebraska, that’s really critically important, because 76% of children under the age of 6 in Nebraska have all available parents in the workforce,” she said. “There’s really only four states that are higher in terms of workforce participation.”
Knoche also noted that when kids develop constructive emotional and development skills at a young age, they eventually become adults who can better navigate conflict and communicate effectively in the workplace.
