Well-Being in Early Head Start and Head Start Programs: A Multidimensional Perspective

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Understanding the well-being of early childhood teachers often requires a multidimensional perspective, integrating multiple methods and disciplines to collect information. Such an approach is particularly important for Early Head Start/Head Start (EHS/HS) teachers who serve 1 million children nationally and may face higher job demands and stress than early childhood teachers in other settings. Across three presentations, connections influencing EHS/HS professionals’ well-being are discussed as well as areas to strengthen.
The first presentation includes the empirical examination of a theoretical construct for how educators make meaning of the cognitive and emotional aspects of their well-being that aligns with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how these factors predict risk of turnover among 1,166 EHS/HS professionals, which may adversely relate to children’s learning and development outcomes.
The second presentation offers a novel look into various aspects of workplace supports that associate with well-being and classroom quality among 262 early childhood teachers. The findings highlight the prevalence of poor well-being among EHS/HS teachers in comparison to non-EHS/HS teachers and suggest the important role of well-being and workplace supports in teaching outcomes.
The third presentation discusses the creation and implementation of an 8-week intervention iteratively developed through various pilot studies with EHS/HS teachers using mindfulness, social-emotional learning and compassion techniques. The findings suggest that learning these practices can lead to positive changes in mental and workplace well-being.
The session will end with a discussion of the current research gaps examining EHS/HS teacher wellbeing and how collectively the studies presented may inform programs and policies.

Sub Unit

• Education, Schooling

Chair

• Holly Hatton-Bowers, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Discussant

• Laura Lessard, University of Delaware

Individual Presentations

• Early Childhood Professional Well-being in Head Start Personnel as a Quality Indicator - Presenting Author: Kate McCormick, SUNY Cortland; Non-Presenting Author: Mary McMullen, Indiana University

• Head Start Teacher Paradox: Working Condition, Well-Being, and Classroom Quality - Presenting Author: Kyong-Ah Kwon, University of Oklahoma; Non-Presenting Author: Sherri L Castle, University of Oklahoma; Non-Presenting Author: Timothy Ford, University of Oklahoma

• Supporting the Emotional Well-being of Early Childhood Educators Working in Head Start - Presenting Author: Holly Hatton-Bowers, University of Nebraska - Lincoln; Non-Presenting Author: Carrie Clark, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Non-Presenting Author: Pearl Avari, University of Nebraska-Lincoln