Improving emotional skills in young children through better teacher support
Official title: Enhancing early care and education through reflective supervision to promote adaptive emotion regulation in young children
Funded at Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital · NIH-11072112 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how to help young children, especially those from low-income families, manage their emotions better by training their teachers to build strong, caring relationships with them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Riverside, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | April 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $169,776 |
| NIH project number | 5K23HD107243-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11072112 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are children aged 0-11 years, particularly those from low-income families who may struggle with emotional regulation.
✕Less likely to help
Children who are not enrolled in early care and education programs or those who do not face challenges related to emotional regulation may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on enhancing the emotional regulation skills of young children, particularly those growing up in poverty, by improving the support and training provided to their teachers in early care and education settings. The study aims to implement a Reflective Practice and Supervision model, which fosters nurturing relationships between teachers and children, thereby promoting better emotional outcomes. By training early childhood education directors to support their teachers effectively, the research seeks to ensure that evidence-based teaching practices are consistently applied, even after external support ends. The approach includes an open trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of this model in real-world settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved emotional regulation in young children, reducing their risk of developing psychological issues later in life.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that enhancing teacher support and training can lead to significant improvements in child emotional outcomes, indicating a promising approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital
Riverside, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Huffhines, Lindsay — Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital
- Study coordinator: Huffhines, Lindsay
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Emotion Regulation Help for Youth in Child Welfare to Prevent Substance Use
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A Tablet-Based Emotion Regulation Program for Surrogate Decision-Makers of ICU Patients on Ventilation
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-
Emotion regulation in teens in outpatient treatment for co-occurring disorders
This project studies how teens in an outpatient program for alcohol use and other mental health issues use emotion regulation skills and how this affects their treatment outcomes.
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Helping South African teens build strong emotional control
Researchers are learning how supportive experiences help adolescents in Cape Town develop healthy emotional control and brain resilience.
-
Peer-delivered emotion-regulation training to prevent mental health problems in firefighter trainees
A peer-led program teaches new firefighters emotion-regulation skills to help prevent PTSD, depression, anxiety, and problematic alcohol use during the early years on the job.
-
Virtual Still Face and Deep Learning to Understand Infant Emotion and Caregiver Interactions
A study using video and wearable sensors to understand how infants and their caregivers regulate emotions in real life, with advanced computer methods to analyze how they interact.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.