By the time children reach kindergarten, their social and emotional skills are already a strong predictor of their future academic achievement, work performance and criminal activity. This is concerning, since one in five preschool-aged children has an emotional or behavioral problem and preschool-aged children are expelled at a rate three times higher than children in the formal educational system.
If a child’s life success can be predicted by the way they behave and socialize in kindergarten, then targeted social skills training must take place before they reach kindergarten.
Encompass Mental Health offers on-site social skills training to preschool classrooms and their teachers. In this 30-minute social skills lesson, the therapist joins the children in their classroom environment to play games, read stories and engage the children in a variety of fun activities that teach socially appropriate behavior, including self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.
Each child care program can select their preference for frequency, from one lesson per week to daily social skills lessons as part of the daily classroom schedule.
If you are interested in learning more about social skills lessons for your child care program, contact us to learn more and schedule your group!