How Children's Social Competence Impacts Their Well-Being in Adulthood

New research findings suggest that kindergarten children who were rated by their teachers as demonstrating greater social competence skills (resolves peer problems, listens to others, shares materials, cooperates and is helpful) in kindergarten were more likely to attain higher education and well-paying jobs in adulthood. Children rated as demonstrating weaker social competency skills were found to be more likely to drop out of high school, abuse drugs and alcohol, and need government assistance. A summary of the study, How Children's Social Competence Impacts Their Well-Being in Adulthood (July 2015), provides an overview of major findings and implications for further action. The study was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and published in the American Journal of Public Health (July 2015).