The Well-Being of Early Childhood Teachers and Practice Implications for Promoting Child Development

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Emerging research suggests that early childhood teachers are poorly supported (Gould, 2015), yet are more likely to have elevated levels of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and mental health challenges (Whitaker et al., 2014). This may affect their capacity to provide quality childcare (Hubel et al., 2020), and ultimately the development of the children in their care. In this symposium, we will examine teacher well-being in early childhood settings, and its relation to classroom practice.
The first study, an on-line survey of preschool teachers, documented that job demands were associated with increased mental health challenges whereas resilience was related to decreased mental health challenges. Study 2, an evaluation of mental health consultation to preschool teachers, yielded findings of an association between reductions in workplace stress and teachers’ positive social-emotional practices.
In Study 3, for infant-toddler teachers with elevated ACES (≥3), higher ACEs were associated with lower CLASS scores. For Study 4, an association was found between ACEs and depression, health conditions, connectedness with other staff, and organizational wellbeing among infant-toddler teachers, but only depression predicted teachers’ engaged support for learning in toddler classrooms.
Taken together, these studies extend our knowledge about teacher well-being in early childhood settings serving low-income children, documenting high levels of risk exposure, occupational challenges, and mental health needs, which may be related to the quality of their practice. Such findings inform the design of interventions for the early childhood workforce, who provide critical support for the development of young children.

Sub Unit

• School Readiness/Childcare

Chair

• Brenda Jones Harden, Columbia University

Individual Presentations

• Exploring Predictors of Depression, Anxiety, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Early Childhood Educators - Presenting Author: Hillary A. Robertson, Georgetown University Medical Center; Non-Presenting Author: Sabrina F. Zuskov, Georgetown University; Non-Presenting Author: Aimée Claire Drouin Duncan, University of Maryland - College Park; Non-Presenting Author: Eshetu Tefera, MedStar Health Research Institute; Non-Presenting Author: Paul Kolm, MedStar Health Research Institute; Non-Presenting Author: Celene Elizabeth Domitrovich, Georgetown University School of Medicine

• Early Childhood Teacher Workplace Stress and Classroom Practices - Presenting Author: Ruby Natale, University of Miami; Non-Presenting Author: Ellen Kolomeyer, University of Miami School of Medicine/Mailman Center for Child Development; Non-Presenting Author: Rebecca J. Bulotsky Shearer, University of Miami

• EHS-CCPs Workforce: An Examination of Their Early Childhood Experiences, Income, and Teacher-Child Interaction Quality - Presenting Author: Johayra Bouza, University of Miami; Non-Presenting Author: Veronica A. Fernandez, University of Miami; Non-Presenting Author: Dorothy Sanchez, University of Miami; Non-Presenting Author: Claudia Perez, University of Miami; Non-Presenting Author: Daryl B Greenfield, University of Miami

• Psychosocial Risk and Wellbeing Among Infant and Toddler Childcare Providers - Presenting Author: Cassandra Simons Gerson, Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD); Non-Presenting Author: Brenda Jones Harden, Columbia University; Non-Presenting Author: Kerry A. Lee, University of Maryland, College Park