Developmental risks for social skills of 3-to 6-year-old children at day-care centers: Prevalence and risk factors

12 % of first graders in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (MWP) show social-emotional delays in their development. The determination of the individual educational needs and the impact of potential risk factors on the development of social skills are prerequisites for developing child-specific interventions at preschool/day-care center in MWP. Data were collected using the DESK 3-6 and a questionnaire for parents based on the German KiGGS-Study. Participants in the study were 870 3- to 6-year-old children participated in the study (response rate 92.4 %). Of the screened children, 599 met all inclusion criteria. It was found that 15.4 % of the children were endangered in their social development, 7.7 % possibly at risk. Linguistic/cognitive developmental risks, male gender, and low/mediumsocioeconomic status were identified as risk factors. Irregular attendance at day-care centers, age, incomplete participation in health screening for children, and limitedTVconsumption were not statistically significant. Approaches for prevention should involve the promotion of linguistic/cognitive skills of children as well as gender-sensitive developmental measures.