Date

5-2024

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Department

Human Development & Family Science

Major

Human Development and Family Science Bachelors of Science

First Advisor

Jessica Hernandez

Abstract

The focal topic of this capstone project is the healthy social-emotional development of low-income preschool and kindergarten children. One of the school districts in East Salinas is the Alisal District, which has a 100% minority enrollment, and a little over 89% of those students are economically disadvantaged (“Overview of Alisal Union,” 2019). A focus on the social-emotional well-being of the students in this age group and community is needed because some of these children have difficulty integrating socially into the school system and struggle to express their feelings or emotions healthily and safely. Strengthening children's capacity to manage emotions and behavior is vital for school success. Low-income, minority children who receive high-quality education can reduce achievement gaps (Salim et al., 2021). Children need the tools to help develop their social-emotional skills to strengthen their capacity to manage their emotions and behavior, which are essential for school success and healthy social-emotional development. Salim et al. (2021) propose that children from disadvantaged and or minority backgrounds, as well as low-income backgrounds, enter kindergarten without the skills needed to succeed academically. Children can have difficulty integrating into a class setting because they have not mastered healthy social-emotional skills. Because children need help identifying and controlling their emotions, I developed three bilingual lessons in Spanish and English to help low-income Latino children learn how to identify and manage their feelings by naming their emotions and learning how to respect the personal space of others. Finally, they will also learn how to employ a breathing technique to calm themselves and help them integrate into a classroom setting easier. The focal group for this project is children of low economic status who live in Salinas, California. They are 3 to 5 years of age and attend playgroups in the Alisal School District.

Download

Available for download on Monday, June 30, 2025

Share

COinS