The University of Illinois is partnering with the University of Colorado at Denver, the University of Connecticut, the University of South Florida, Education Development Corporation, Tennessee Voices for Children, and several national professional organizations to create a Center for the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning. The goals and activities of this consortium are designed to strengthen the capacity of Child Care and Head Start to improve the social and emotional outcomes of young children. As evidenced through a variety of recent publications, there is a direct link between social and emotional development and children's successful transition to school. While there are data on practices that are effective in facilitating the social and emotional development of children, this information has not been consistently translated into information that is useful to consumers. The lack of user-friendly information, combined with the growing number of children with challenging behaviors and mental health needs in Child Care and Head Start programs, highlights the need for systematic training efforts related to social and emotional development. The consortium is committed to addressing these issues through: a) a focus on promoting the social and emotional development of children as a means of preventing challenging behaviors, b) a comprehensive, culturally sensitive approach that is inclusive of and responsive to the needs of programs, families, other professionals, and communities, c) the dissemination of evidence-based practices, d) the ongoing identification of training needs and preferred delivery formats of local programs and T/TA providers, and e) collaboration with existing T/TA providers for the purpose of ensuring the implementation and sustainability of practices at the local level. The Center is jointly funded by the Head Start and Child Care Bureaus.

For more information, contact Dr. Mary Louise Hemmeter, Project Director. T: 217-330-0260; E: mlhemm@uiuc.edu.