Chapter 12 - Maximizing the Effectiveness of Social-Emotional Interventions for Young Children Through High-Quality Implementation of Evidence-Based Interventions

Summary

The use of universal, evidence-based social-emotional curricula in early educational settings is expanding. Although these programs have the potential to enhance target outcomes, their success depends on the quality with which they are conducted in community settings. This chapter provides guidelines to practitioners who are planning to implement these types of interventions to ensure quality implementation and maximize effectiveness. First, it summarizes the most effective intervention models that are currently available for communities to enhance the social competence of young children. Next, the chapter defines the core process components of social-emotional interventions because these reflect high-quality implementation and are the primary mechanisms responsible for behavior change in participants. Instructional core components of social-emotional interventions include general teaching practices and specific promotion strategies. There are a number of ways to assess implementation, but the most common approaches include indicators of fidelity, dosage, and quality of delivery.