Promoting social-emotional learning in early elementary school in Spain: A quasi-experimental preliminary evaluation of the “EmPeCemos-Universal” program

• The EmPeCemos-Universal program includes SEL in the curriculum during school hours. • The program targets universal prevention with actions for all children. • Staff training is provided before implementing the SEL program. • Intervention follows evidence-based SAFE approach and allows for repeated practice. • Children showed improvements in emotional regulation, empathy and problem-solving. Previous research has confirmed the positive effects of social-emotional learning on students’ well-being, mental health, and academic outcomes. This study aims to examine the preliminary effectiveness of the [Anonymized] program, a structured, universal, school-based social-emotional learning curriculum delivered by teachers in the 1st grade of elementary school. The study used a quasi-experimental design with a pre- and post-test, involving 365 students aged 6–7 years at baseline (age M = 6.08, SD = 0.31; 49.8% girls) from the first grade of elementary education in 17 schools in NW Spain. The intervention group consisted of 156 children who received the program, while 209 children formed the control group. Data were analyzed using mixed linear models. Analyses revealed a significant group by time interactions for emotional regulation and empathy competencies, and a marginally significant interaction emerged for problem-solving. No significant intervention effects were found for inhibitory control. These findings should be interpreted in light of the study’s limitations, particularly its quasi-experimental design and baseline group differences. Overall, results provide preliminary evidence suggesting that the [Anonymized] program may be a promising intervention for enhancing positive well-being indicators, with short-term positive effects observed in specific social-emotional competencies in Spanish children.