"I Feel Honored to Work With Children": Needs and Motivations Supporting Early Childhood Professional Well-Being

• In Event: Early Childhood Professional Well-Being: Multiple Perspectives on Outcomes and Implications From Three Projects

Abstract

Objectives
Much existing research on quality in early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings examines environments (e.g., ECERS) or interactions between teachers and children (e.g., CLASS), but not aspects directly related to the professionals themselves, including needs and motivations contributing to their overall well-being. Professionals’ needs and motivations are associated with positive experiences for young children and families or detrimental outcomes in childcare such as turnover and decreased capacity for sensitively-responsive care (Authors, 2020; Cumming, 2017).). Previous research indicates needs and motivations are influenced by both internal, attitudinal factors and external factors (Carson et al., 2017; Jeon & Wells, 2018; Wagner & French, 2010). Most existing scholarship looks only at the teachers in ECCE, but not other professionals such as administrators, therapists/social workers, and auxiliary staff. The primary purposes of this study were to describe Early Childhood Professional Well-being (ECPW) in a nationwide sample of Early Head Start and Head Start (EHS/HS) personnel using the ECPW Questionnaire (ECPW-Q) (Authors, 2021), and how well-being differed by professional role, context, and qualifications.
Theoretical Framework
The researchers defined ECPW as articulated in earlier publications as arising from a sense of being and feeling well (as perceived cognitively and emotionally) in terms of physical and psychological health and safety, emotional stability and soundness, and overall satisfaction in the environments, relationships, and experiences/practices in the childcare workplace (AUTHORS, 2016/2018). ECPW was conceptually framed using a revisioning of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1943) and Vygotsky’s (1934/1987) perezhivanie (cognitive plus emotional or lived-experience).
Methods and Data Source
The National Head Start Association distributed English and Spanish versions of the ECPW-Q electronically. The instrument’ Likert-scale and open-ended items was completed by 1,166 EHS/HS professionals representing all regions of the U.S. It included teachers, administrators, therapists/social workers, and auxiliary personnel from EHS/HS settings including teachers, administrators, therapists/social workers, and auxiliary personnel (Authors, 2021).
Results
Through EFA, three factors were identified: Community Belonging (α = 0.90); Safety & Security (α = 0.84); and Professional Identity (α = 0.76). ANOVA results (Table1) indicated significant differences in group means for professional roles, for Community Belonging (F(3, 964) = 4.62, p < .01), Safety & Security (F(3, 963) = 13.13, p < .001), and Professional Identity (F(3, 964) = 8.27, p < .001 with administrators, and professionals with college and graduate degrees and those over 20 years of experience experienced higher levels of ECPW. Qualitative analysis of open-ended survey comments added depth to interpretations and consideration of implications. SEM (Figure 1) using a second-order CFA found ECPW and its factors predict job satisfaction and risk of turnover.
Significance
This study contributes to knowledge towards efforts and initiatives addressed at improving childcare quality and the lived experience of the professionals within it. We conclude that ECCE settings must promote collegiality and Community Belonging, provide Safety and Security in the workplace, and recognize and support the Professional Identity of all program staff. These three factors provide a means for directing policy initiatives, and have implications for administrators, teacher educators, and for future research.

Authors

• Kate McCormick, SUNY - College at Cortland

• Mary Benson McMullen, Indiana University

• Jieun Choi, Seoul Women's University