Objective This study sought to investigate the impact of home-kindergarten-community collaboration on children’s socioemotional competence and its underlying mechanisms. Methods To this end, an online questionnaire was administered to 4,780 kindergarten teachers in Guangdong and Yunnan Provinces. The survey solicited their perceptions regarding the current status of home-kindergarten-community collaboration and their assessments of the director’s transformational leadership. Additionally, the developmental levels of children’s and teachers’ socioemotional competence were assessed through teacher reports. Results The findings showed substantial disparities in the development of children’s socioemotional competence based on gender, age, and geographical location. Additionally, notable variations existed among different kindergarten types in terms of home-community collaboration, directors’ transformational leadership, and children’s socioemotional competence. Furthermore, substantial positive correlations were identified between home-kindergarten-community collaboration and children’s socioemotional competence and between directors’ transformational leadership and teachers’ socioemotional competence. Specifically, home-kindergarten-community collaboration indirectly promotes the development of children’s socioemotional competence through principals’ transformational leadership and teachers’ socioemotional competence. Conclusion Kindergarten principals and teachers should fortify their central roles to foster collaboration between the home and society. They must meticulously create nurturing physical environments and establish comprehensive emotional support systems to ensure the optimal development of children’s socioemotional competence.
Sun et al. (2025) studied this question.