This exploratory, cross-national research study investigated how ten female early childhood educators, five in Nepal and five in Kenya, understood and defined young children's socio-emotional development (SED). Research Findings: Revealed that teachers' understandings of SED were influenced by several factors such as ethno-culture, language, and relationships at different ecological levels. The study further revealed that Nepali and Kenya teachers' understandings and definitions of SED included a hybrid version that contained both Euro-Western notions of SED as well as their localized cultural understandings grounded in religious and gendered norms, values, expectation, and traditions. Practice or Policy: These features suggest that there is a need for early childhood teachers from majority-world countries to consider differential impacts of context and culture on young children's SED and be cautious about appropriating Euro-Western expectations. Further research studies with larger samples that represent both male and female teachers from wider geographical areas in both countries are needed to determine what aspects of SED are universal and those that can offer alternative ways of thinking about and engaging with SED in early childhood spaces.