Abstract
Currently, 69% of American four- and five-year-olds are enrolled in some kind of center-based early childhood education (ECE) program, and 43 of the 50 states of the USA offer state-funded prekindergarten programs. This creates an important opportunity for the early promotion of social, emotional, and behavioral competencies and early intervention to remediate behavior problems and address emerging mental health concerns. This special issue highlights four new evidence-based programs that promote the development of social, emotional, and behavioral competencies in early childhood and reduce the risks associated with challenging behaviors. In this commentary, we highlight key issues that emerged across the four papers included in this special issue, including common ground and areas of distinction across the programs. We celebrate the progress made in this area over the past two decades that is reflected in these papers, and focus on critical steps in this domain for future research and practice.