Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic we heard from NC Pre-K teachers, coaches, and administrators about an increase in difficulty with following school-routines and negotiating peer conflict among the 4-5 year old children enrolled in the NC Pre-K program. In the small group of classrooms that did not participate in the social-emotional intervention the teachers rated ¼ of children as having difficulty forming relationships with adults and 1/5 as rarely or never showing initiative in their classroom behavior at levels of concern that would meet screening criteria for these children to be referred to receive additional services. Participation in the Pyramid Model social-emotional intervention was associated with improved school-appropriate behaviors and few children being scored in a range that would indicate a need for referral by the end of pre-K. This was reflected in their consistent use of evidence-based-practices to support the social-emotional development of children in their classroom throughout the year.