This synthesis provides information for early care and education providers on using evidence-based practices in screening and assessing the social-emotional competence of infants, toddlers, and young children. The synthesis is organized around common questions related to screening and assessing social-emotional competence. We begin with a discussion of what is meant by social-emotional competence, and then describe general issues and challenges around screening and assessment (see Box 1 for key terms). We then discuss the roles of families, culture, and language in screening and assessing social-emotional competence, and end with a list of resources and some examples of social and emotional screening and assessment tools. (author abstract)