"Children’s long term success at school is influenced as much by social, emotional and self-regulation skills as by academic skills and knowledge. Social and emotional development is a main contributor to successful school transitions and a significant preventative factor of disruptive behaviour, and mental health difficulties. Not paying attention to social and emotional development is harmful to young children’s capacity to learn and to thrive. The SEED Project (Social and Emotional Education and Development) was designed to draw attention to the importance of social and emotional well-being for children’s learning and development. This was done by a research study about young children's well-being and the factors that influence it in ECEC and primary schools in Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Norway and the Netherlands. Based on the research findings practitioners working with 3 to 6-year-olds in these countries participated in a continuing professional development pathway based on group reflection to give them the skills to create create educational environments which are supportive of children's social and emotional well-being.The participants were 140 ECEC practitioners and primary school teachers and 44 principals in Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Netherlands and Norway who participated in the research. A subset of 80 of these professionals participated in the piloting of the WANDA group reflection over one school year, supported by trained mentors. They also took part in study visits to ECEC settings. Other participants were the 545 staff of faculties of teacher education in universities and institutes of teacher education, teachers' and parents' associations, university researchers and local and national policy makers responsible for education and training. These participated in local seminars and conferences where SEED findings and their implications were discussed. Achievements of SEED include an assessment of the socio-emotional well-being of 1195 five-year-old children attending ECEC settings in urban and rural areas in 5-countries; a comparative analysis in understandings of young children’s social and emotional development across countries; sensitization of practitioners, principals, teacher trainers and policy makers to the importance of social and emotional well-being and the multiple setting factors that influence it and the formulation of principles of social and emotional well-being in ECEC.Important results are that practitioners are strengthened in their professional role and where their attention should be oriented in order to support socio-emotional well-being of children. This means they are better able to deal with daily challenges in their classrooms. Practitioners also feel supported in concretely transforming and improving daily practice and in continuously working on the link between theory and practice. The group reflection pathway has also better prepared practitioners to deal positively with diversity in their classrooms by drawing attention the impact ECEC environments. and their behaviours and interactions with children and their parents have on social and emotional wellbeing. SEED has therefore led to quality improvements in ECEC. It has also led to concrete commitments to give more attention to social and emotional wellbeing in training, practice and policy in all participating countries. ""Everyone is accepted as he/she is. This is what we stand for as a school. New children are immediately included. We take care of children when they show emotional needs. We teach children to play together and to talk to each other about difficulties"". (Practitioner, the Netherlands). The results of SEED are available in two publications, 1) a research report titled: ""Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Young Children in ECEC Settings"", which is also available in summary in Croatian, Dutch, English, Hungarian, Latvian and Norwegian, and 2) guidelines for coaches and mentors, titled ""SEEDs of Change: Supporting social and emotional well-being of children in Early Childhood Education and Care"", and summaries in Croatian, Dutch, English, Hungarian, Latvian. Paying more attention to young children's feelings and social relationships in ECEC and primary school leads to happier learners who have a better and a more equal chance to fulfil their potential. As a result of this project ECEC centres and schools are now better prepared to meet the needs of all children and their families.For more information and to download the SEED publications: https://icdi.nl/projects/social-and-emotional-education-and-development-seed"

Ensuring soft transition of children from preschool to school (following: transition) contributes significantly to their better education outcomes (Wright, 2009; Bablett, Barrat-Pugh, Kilagllon, and Maloney, 2011; Ahtolaa, Poikonenb, Kontoniemic, Niemia, and Nurmi, 2012; Petriwskyi, 2013). According to the recent international OECD study (Transitions from Early Childhood Education and Care to Primary Education, 2017), following actions need to be undertaken in order to make progress in this field. Firstly, researchers should proceed with additional studies and analysis of particular aspects of transition. Secondly, there exist explicit evidences (Dunlop, Fabian, 2007; Margetts and Kiening, 2013; Moss, 2013), which indicate that preschool and school professionals are key actors for ensuring successful transition, but work on different levels and are consequently not perceived equally, nor do they have a common understanding on transition. Based on this, it is of great importance to connect professionals from both levels and organise joint trainings and to build professional learning communities (following: PLC) and (Požar Matijašič, Štraus, Rutar, Cotič Pajntar, 2017).The project is aimed at raising awareness, interest and competencies of preschool and school professionals for ensuring transition between preschool and school environment.In the first phase, we will provide a snapshot of the situation on transition from preschool to school, which will be made on national levels and comparatively on the international level. The snapshot will comprise a representative sample of preschools and schools (10%) on each national level, answering the e-questionnaire sent to them. Obtained results will be complemented with data, which will be collected at focus groups with parents (2 in each country) and focus groups with children (2 in each country), who attend preschools and schools from the sample. The snapshot of the situation will greatly contribute to a more holistic and deeper understanding of the process of ensuring transition.In the second phase, we will intensively cooperate with partner preschools and schools in the process of developing the pilot module on transition. A professional learning community (following: PLC) will be formed at the level of each country. Each PLC will be facilitated by the national leading partner and will consist of preschool and school professionals, preschool and school counsellors and preschool and school managers (12 members per PLC). At the level of PLCs, a common understanding on the importance of transition will be created, as well as strategies and approaches to ensure transition, which will serve as a foundation for developing the pilot module. The pilot module will also be based on the exchange of experiences, examples of good practice and challenges on transition, which will be possible during three 3-day study visits. The developed module will enrich the offer of trainings on the topic of transition for preschool and school professionals, which is currently very insufficient.In the third phase, national leading partners will conduct trainings, based on the pilot module (4 5-day trainings for 30 participants - 120 participants per country), which is intended for both, preschool and school professionals. In this way, professionals from different levels will have the possibility to build PLC and ensure common understanding of transition. Based on the evaluation of conducted trainings and examples of good practice, identified during trainings, a Handbook for preschool and school professionals (O3) on ensuring transition will be developed. The Handbook will consist of the theoretical framework, the snapshot of the situation, strategies and approaches of ensuring transition and examples of good practice. In the fourth phase, the module will be revised, potentially modified and finalised, based on the final evaluation of trainings. The module and executed trainings will greatly contribute to raising competences of preschool and school professionals for ensuring transition within the project duration and beyond, as trainings will be incorporated in national training programmes and will continue also in the future.In the last phase, we will encourage potential trainers from organisations, which carry out trainings for preschool and school professionals, to implement the training based on our pilot module into their programmes. Moreover, we also want to raise level of their competencies by organising a Webinar.Through dissemination activities that will be carried out through all phases, we will encourage a wider discussion of the professional and general public about the importance of ensuring transition. We also aim at informing and raising interest of professional public for the training. Key findings, results and impacts from the project will serve as useful material for further research, dissemination and advocacy activities on the topic of transition.