Researchers at Penn State and Duke examined whether kindergarten teachers’ ratings of children’s prosocial skills, an indicator of non-cognitive ability at school entry, predict key adolescent and adult outcomes. Our goal was to determine unique associations over and above other important child, family, and contextual characteristics. The results? They have found statistically significant associations between measured social-emotional skills in kindergarten and key young adult outcomes across multiple domains of education, employment, criminal activity, substance use, and mental health.
Jones DE, Greenberg M, Crowley M. Early social-emotional functioning and public health: the relationship between kindergarten social competence and future wellness. Am J Public Health. 2015:e1-e8. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302630.