The Role of Professional Development in Bridging High-Quality Social-Emotional Learning in Laboratory and Community Preschools

The current study presents an exploratory model of comprehensive professional development that provides early childhood education and care teachers with opportunities to enhance their skills in social-emotional learning (SEL). Skills development strategies include a combination of workshops, observations of high-quality university laboratory preschool classrooms, consultation with master educators, on-site coaching, and communities of practice. The study found statistically significant improvements in content knowledge, knowledge of evidence-based strategies, and self-efficacy to implement new strategies in the classroom for participants of the Promoting Prosocial Behavior workshop. Teachers and administrators who participated in observations, coaching, and/or communities of practice reported value in each component of professional development. Results of this project suggest that a multipronged approach of supporting SEL in the classroom has a positive impact on teachers’ self-regulation and modeling skills