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Perhaps more than ever, mental health and social interactions have been on the minds of many over the past year. A pandemic, ongoing systemic injustices, and a contentious political season combined to create uncertainty and stress for adults and children alike. What do these stressors mean for the mental health of our youngest learners? In what ways can early childhood educators nurture the social and emotional lives and learning of children from birth through age 8?

This issue of听Young Children听offers research-supported responses to these questions with a cluster of articles devoted to intentional practices that promote social and emotional development: The first four articles in this cluster focus on the specific social and emotional needs of infants and toddlers, and the development of these important articles represents a unique collaboration between 51吃瓜网 and to collectively concentrate our respective journals on the emotional health of infants and toddlers.

The catalyst for this issue was threefold:

• the shared interest in supporting the early childhood education workforce to have the resources and tools necessary for meeting the needs of the youngest children in their care
• the understanding that social and emotional development is critical to learning and a fundamental aspect of infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH)
• the recognition of the power of collaboration to elevate the vital role of early childhood educators in supporting IECMH

Mary Jane Maguire-Fong opens this听Young Children听cluster with 鈥淲hat Babies Ask of Us: Contexts to Support Learning about Self and Other.鈥� She details how early childhood educators can listen to, observe, and guide infants and toddlers through thoughtfully prepared play spaces, daily routines, and everyday interactions. In 鈥溾�榊ou鈥檙e Okay鈥� May Not be Okay: Using Emotion Language to Promote Toddlers鈥� Social and Emotional Development,鈥� Elizabeth K. King harnesses that keen awareness and planning to outline how educators can use anti-oppressive emotion language strategies with toddlers.

Tapping into these same powers of observation and reflection, Claire Vallotton, Jennifer Mortensen, Melissa Burnham, Kalli Decker, and Marjorie Beeghly present 鈥淏ecoming a Better Behavior Detective:听Applying a Developmental and Contextual Lens on Behavior to Promote Social and Emotional Development.鈥� Educators can use this 5-Step Reflective Cycle to identify and be responsive to infants鈥� and toddlers鈥� behaviors and needs. Of course, following these steps depends on our own emotional presence and well-being. In an accompanying piece to this article, Holly Hatton-Bowers and colleagues offer recommendations for 鈥淐ultivating Self-Awareness in 51吃瓜网 with Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families: Caring for Ourselves as We Care for Others.鈥�

Finally, in 鈥淲hen in Doubt, Reach Out: Teaming Strategies for Inclusive Early Childhood Settings,鈥� Christine Spence, Deserai Miller, Catherine Corr, Rosa Milagros Santos, and Brandie Bentley capture how an early childhood educator learns to actively participate in early intervention processes through effective communication and collaboration. This cluster also features a special Rocking and Rolling column defining IECMH and outlining how early childhood educators play a role in fostering infants鈥� and toddlers鈥� emotional well-being.

For educators of older children, it is vital to understand that the roots of social and emotional learning begin in infancy. In addition to the cluster articles, you鈥檒l find pieces devoted to social and emotional learning in preschool and elementary settings, including articles that

• outline the ARC framework to help children learn to recognize and manage their emotions, particularly those who have experienced trauma
• describe effective strategies for fostering responsibility in young children
• distinguish between friendship and kindness in preschool settings

The articles in the听听explore a variety of issues related to IECMH in early childhood education settings, including: how infants鈥� and toddlers鈥� mental health is paramount to their ability to form healthy relationships, regulate their emotions, and learn; the role of IECMH consultation, the impact of COVID, and equity and power dynamics; and trauma-informed care and the importance of teachers鈥� mental health, particularly in the context of multiple, long-term stressors affecting every layer of the early childhood education system and society as a whole. The issue also recognizes the valuable role of advocacy and policy and provides suggestions for how early childhood professionals can bring their expertise to influence effective policy change for babies and families.

We hope that the readers of听Young Children听and the听ZERO TO THREE Journal听will turn to both publications to discover perspectives and find valuable resources to support their work with infants, toddlers, and their families. Links to selected articles from each issue are available on each journal鈥檚 web page.

鈥擜nnie Moses, editor in chief, with Stefanie Powers, editor in chief,听ZERO TO THREE Journal, and Kathy Reschke, editorial assistant,听ZERO TO THREE Journal

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