Institutional early and preschool education (ECE), as part of the educational system, is a significant factor in the socio-emotional development of children. The daily interaction of children and educators and children with each other - touch, physical proximity, encouraging communication and facial expression of emotions can affirmatively contribute to the development of children’s socio-emotional competences. The development of these competencies is extremely important for building children’s resilience. It is reasonable to assume that the changes in the educational process initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the socio-emotional development of early and preschool children. Therefore, the opinion of preschool teachers on the socio-emotional status of children during and after the implementation of epidemiological measures due to the pandemic was investigated. Preschool teachers are accepted as professionals competent to assess changes in children’s behaviour. The research included 153 preschool teachers working in kindergartens in Split and near area. The research instrument Post pandemic socio-emotional status of preschool children’s questionnaire / UP-SES was constructed based on the relevant literature for the purposes of this research. The research was conducted online in accordance with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Code of Ethics. The participants were informed about the possibility of free withdrawal and complete anonymity. The assessment scale used is suitable for factor analysis. Using the method of principal components, 5 factors were extracted that explain 49.5% of the common variance. Based on the matrix of components, it is possible to interpret them as negative, affirmative and developmental changes, changes in children’s behaviour, and resistance. The research findings indicate a statistically significant slight negative association between the assessment of affirmative outcomes and the age of preschool teachers in the sample. At the same time, teachers’ assessment of the negative outcomes of the development of children’s socio-emotional status during the pandemic correlates slightly positively with the assessment of affirmative outcomes, behavioural changes and observed resistance of children. Although, based on these findings, it is not possible to generalise about the effects of the pandemic on the socio-emotional status of children, the changes as outcomes are indisputable. This points to the need to research optimal responses to the socioemotional needs of early and preschool children exposed to pandemic events.