PBS Play and Learn app / PBS

A new study from PBS KIDS reveals that how children feel when starting school and how they handle that adjustment, may be more important to parents than whether they know their ABCs. The report found that social and emotional skills are the top concerns for parents preparing their children for that first day. While parents want their early learners to have some academic ability, the emotional well-being of their child carried more weight. More than two−thirds—or 77 percent—of surveyed parents stated they want their children to develop social skills before starting kindergarten with 53 percent putting emotional skills as a high priority. Interviewing over 1,000 parents of children ages 2−6, PBS KIDS along with research firm Smarty Pants, found that five out of 10 parents worry their children will start school without the necessary skills they’ll need to thrive. “We were surprised that the number one area parents are concerned about is social and emotional preparedness,” says Lesli Rotenberg, general manager for children’s programming at PBS. “That’s not to say literacy and math skills weren’t on the list. But, [our results] probably fit nicely with what kindergarten teachers say [regarding] what skills kids need in order to succeed.”

Image from PBSKIDS show "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" / The Fred Rogers Company

Technology and media are key methods parents use to prepare their children, according to 89 percent of parents who said they believe these resources can help. In academic subjects, 82 percent of parents said they turn to new technology such as computer games, websites, and apps to help their children develop skills in math. Seventy-five percent use technology to develop reading skills, and 67 percent use it with writing. Still, the majority (88 percent) of parents believe knowing how to handle social situations is the most important skill for their early learners. And the number one resource they use to teach that skill? It’s television, with 56 percent of parents saying watching it helps their children learn social skills, with 59 percent saying television shows educate children about emotional skills as well. “I think parents need the positive reinforcement about what they’re teaching to their kids like sitting still, waiting for their turn, managing their emotions,” says Rotenberg, who pointed to a new kids show on PBS called “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” which focuses on social skills. “TV can provide positive role models… when kids see [learning] in a narrative form, it gets through to them, the same way it gets through to us [adults].” The study also looked into specific groups, including families who reported having “a lower household income.” The report stated that 63 percent of these lower-income parents stated they have fewer resources to help get their children prepare for school, but turn to PBS KIDS as one of their priming options. To Rotenberg, this is an opportunity for the network to continue to create programming that targets developing social skills parents believe are crucial—and also in educational preparedness for their upcoming school years. “We want to expand the resources that can help them get their kids ready,” she says. “And maybe we can do a better job communicating what we currently have.”