A Holistic Approach to Early Childhood Educators’ Well-being and Work Environments

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Early childhood (EC) educators play an instrumental role in creating a classroom culture that fosters children’s learning (Flook et al., 2013). Establishing an environment that meets the needs of diverse learners and formulating positive relationships with each child, however, can be physically and emotionally challenging for teachers (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Previous studies have shown that the overwhelming demands placed on EC educators are related to their well-being (Wells, 2015; Zinsser et al., 2013). Although recent studies have examined EC educators’ well-being, there is still no consensus on how to conceptualize well-being. In addition, there is a gap in understanding how educators’ work environments could promote their well-being. This session will discuss empirical evidence on conceptual models of well-being, and to what extent different aspects of teachers’ work environments are related to their well-being. The first two papers utilized a person-centered approach to explore profiles of EC educators’ well-being in a holistic way. The first paper found that well-being profiles were disproportionally distributed by teachers’ race, education, and role. The second paper found four profiles on educators’ wellness behaviors and psychological/physical well-being, and educators’ work environments were related to these profiles. In the third paper, supports from supervisors and co-workers and adverse childhood experiences were associated with educators’ work engagement, self-efficacy, and compassion fatigue. The fourth paper found that job demands and resources in work environments, beliefs/self-efficacy, perceived stress, depressive symptoms and burnout were significantly correlated. Using the findings, we will discuss potential strategies to improve educators’ well-being.

Sub Unit

• School Readiness/Childcare

Chairs

• Lieny Jeon, University of Virginia - Charlottesville

• Amy Roberts, University of Denver

Individual Presentations

• A Person-Centered Approach to Early Childhood Professionals’ Well-being - Presenting Author: Amy Roberts, University of Denver; Non-Presenting Author: Alexandra M. Daro, Buffett Early Childhood Institute; Non-Presenting Author: Kathleen Cranley Gallagher, University of Nebraska

• Psychosocial Work Environment and Profiles on Head Start Teachers’ Wellness Behavior and Well-being - Presenting Author: Lieny Jeon, University of Virginia - Charlottesville; Non-Presenting Author: Arik Marcell, Johns Hopkins University; Non-Presenting Author: Christina Harnett, Johns Hopkins University; Non-Presenting Author: Kyong-Ah Kwon, University of Oklahoma; Non-Presenting Author: Katherine Ardeleanu, Johns Hopkins University; Non-Presenting Author: Briana Bostic, Johns Hopkins University; Non-Presenting Author: R Christopher Swanson, Johns Hopkins University

• Early Childhood Teachers’ ACEs and Workplace Supports Predict Indicators of Workplace Well-being - Presenting Author: Caitlyn Abshire, Oregon State University - Corvallis; Non-Presenting Author: Shannon Tierney Lipscomb, Oregon State University

• ECE and ECSE Teachers’ Psychological and Professional Well-Being in the Job Demands and Resources Model - Presenting Author: Hyun-Joo Jeon, University of Nevada, Reno; Non-Presenting Author: Kyong-Ah Kwon, University of Oklahoma; Non-Presenting Author: Lindsay L. Diamond, University of Nevada, Reno; Non-Presenting Author: Christina M. McCartney, University of Nevada, Reno