This cross-sectional observational study aims to examine the current status and familial factors associated with social competence and emotional well-being among young children in an urban city in the East Asia region. Early childhood teachers assessed the social competence and the emotional state of preschool children with the Social Competence and Behavioural Evaluation (SCBE-30) Scale. Data were analysed with multiple regression modelling. Results suggested few variables were significantly associated with social competence. These included being a boy, aged 5 years or older, had more than one sibling, whose mother spoke a language other than the local language, and whose carers were not biological parents. Being a male with a mother who spoke a language other than the local language was associated with anger-aggression, while parental work arrangement was the only variable associated with anxiety-withdrawal. Results have a direct implication on the individual and structural levels of child care and early childhood education. (author abstact)