Blewitt, Claire, Morris, Heather, O'Connor, Amanda, Ifanti, Amalia, Greenwood, David and Skouteris, Helen (2021) Social and emotional learning in early childhood education and care : a public health perspective. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 45 (1). pp. 17-19. doi:10.1111/1753-6405.13058

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Abstract

Mental health and behavioural disorders account for one of the largest and fastest-growing categories of burden of disease globally, and mental ill-health is the leading cause of health-related disability in children and youth.1 In Australia, 13.6% of children aged 4 to 11 years meet diagnostic criteria for at least one mental health disorder.2 Approaches such as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in educational settings can play an important role in fostering the social-emotional skills that promote future wellbeing and prevent chronic health problems including depression, anxiety, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and substance abuse.3, 4

SEL intervention supports educators to foster children's social-emotional development through explicit teaching, modelling, practice and integration within other areas of learning.5 In schools, it has been positioned within a public health framework, recognising that universal programming, tiered layers of support, and integration across classrooms, schools, families and communities may offer public health benefits.6 Research evidence suggests SEL programming in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) can similarly have a significant positive impact on children's mental health.7-10 However, SEL research in ECEC has focused on the classroom level, with less emphasis on systemic approaches that encourage individual, interpersonal, organisational and community factors to promote children's social-emotional functioning and potentially prevent outcomes of mental and physical illness.

This commentary considers SEL intervention in early childhood through a public health lens and introduces a conceptual public health model of SEL in ECEC. It examines the meaning and dimensions of a ‘public health model’, the features of and evidence-base for public health approaches in educational settings, and the opportunities and challenges to systemically embed SEL within the early learning environment.

Item Type:	Journal Item
Subjects:	L Education > LC Special aspects of education R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Early childhood education , Child mental health , Crisis intervention (Mental health services) , Child mental health services, Mentally ill children -- Education (Early childhood), School children -- Mental health services
Journal or Publication Title:	Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
ISSN:	1753-6405
Official Date:	February 2021
Dates:	Date Event February 2021 Published 18 January 2021 Available 8 November 2020 Accepted
Volume:	45
Number:	1
Page Range:	pp. 17-19
DOI:	10.1111/1753-6405.13058
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access (Creative Commons)
Date of first compliant deposit:	10 August 2022
Date of first compliant Open Access:	15 August 2022

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