Early childhood educators are the bedrock of children’s formative years, playing a vital role in their socio-emotional, cognitive, language, and regulatory development. With the increasing number of dual-income households, educators are more crucial than ever. However, the demanding nature of their profession, encompassing caregiving, continuous professional development, parent-educator partnerships, and adapting to new teaching technologies, places immense pressure on their physical and psychological well-being. This pressure, compounded by physical demands like lifting and moving, can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression, ultimately diminishing job satisfaction and commitment.
Nebraska surveys highlight this issue, with a significant percentage of early childhood educators reporting depressive symptoms. When educators feel their efforts are not adequately rewarded, they enter a “burnout cycle” (Figure 1). Burnout compromises the quality of care and education, increases absenteeism and turnover, and drives educators out of the profession. Supporting the well-being of early childhood educators is paramount to ensure high-quality care for children.
Understanding Educator Burnout
Workplace burnout is defined as prolonged occupational stress leading to negative feelings. Early childhood educators commonly experience burnout across three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment.
Alt text: Diagram illustrating the burnout cycle for early childhood educators, starting with workplace stressors leading to burnout, and then negative impacts on educators, children, and the profession.
- Emotional exhaustion manifests as chronic fatigue, depleted energy, and a pervasive sense of being worn out.
- Depersonalization is characterized by detachment and indifference towards children and colleagues.
- Reduced personal accomplishment is marked by a decline in self-belief regarding workplace competence.
High burnout levels diminish educator sensitivity, engagement, and increase detachment, hindering their ability to actively support children’s learning and development. This negatively impacts children’s socio-emotional and academic progress. Furthermore, high burnout contributes significantly to the high turnover rates prevalent in childcare facilities, impacting the stability and quality of care.
Chronic workplace stress is a key predictor of burnout in early childhood educators. The stressors are multifaceted and deeply rooted in the systems they operate within.
- Inadequate Compensation: Low pay is a primary stressor. Nebraska’s median annual pay for early care providers and center-based educators is significantly lower than PreK educators, yet even PreK educators face financial strain, often requiring second jobs or public assistance. This financial insecurity fuels fatigue and detachment at work.
- Excessive Work Demands: Educators face diverse responsibilities beyond teaching, including administrative tasks, professional development, and extensive documentation. Lack of dedicated planning time to manage these demands intensifies stress.
- Relationship Strain: Poor relationships with colleagues and challenging partnerships with parents can lead to isolation, conflict, and increased stress. Crucially, stress from these sources can negatively impact the educator-child relationship, creating a detrimental learning environment and fostering feelings of inadequacy in educators, further reducing efficiency and overall well-being.
The encroachment of prolonged stress into educators’ personal lives disrupts work-life balance, perpetuating the burnout cycle.
Everyday Self-Care Strategies for Educators
Early childhood educators are indispensable to children’s development. When educators thrive, they cultivate supportive and nurturing classroom environments. Therefore, supporting educators is crucial for providing optimal care to children. While systemic and policy changes are vital for addressing burnout, prioritizing everyday self-care is equally essential for educators’ well-being.
Here are practical self-care strategies that educators can integrate into their daily routines:
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Mindfulness Practices: Incorporating mindfulness can significantly reduce stress and foster a positive outlook. Simple techniques include guided meditations, yoga, mindful pauses throughout the day to observe the environment without judgment, and practicing gratitude. Mindfulness programs offered by early childhood centers provide valuable opportunities for educators to integrate these practices into their daily schedules and classrooms.
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Prioritize Physical Health: Nurturing the body through regular exercise, healthy eating, and sufficient sleep is crucial for combating fatigue associated with stress. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can improve sleep quality. Short walks during breaks can offer stress relief and help educators return to the classroom feeling refreshed. Access to substitute staff for short breaks during overwhelming moments is also beneficial. Allowing educators to keep water bottles with them encourages hydration and supports overall physical health.
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Breathing Techniques for Stressful Moments: Educators often encounter challenging situations that trigger reactive responses. Deep breathing exercises can calm the body and mind, providing a pause to formulate thoughtful responses. For instance, when dealing with a disruptive child, deep breaths can help educators respond calmly and effectively.
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Cultivate Self-Compassion: Recognizing the need for self-care begins with self-compassion – treating oneself with kindness and understanding. Acknowledging that everyone experiences challenges and avoiding negative self-talk promotes a positive perspective for navigating stressful situations. Self-compassion also extends to others, fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment.
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Build Supportive Relationships: Colleagues are invaluable sources of support. Collaborative relationships with colleagues can facilitate problem-solving and reduce classroom stress. Nurturing personal relationships with family and friends outside of work is equally important for maintaining work-life balance and emotional well-being.
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Reframe Challenging Situations: Conflict with children, families, or colleagues can trigger automatic, reactive responses. Stepping back to re-evaluate the situation with empathy and understanding can prevent escalation and reduce stress. Recognizing that educators are doing their best with available resources and approaching situations with kindness and compassion can minimize conflict and create a less stressful environment.
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Optimize the Physical Workspace: Reducing physical strain is essential. Providing both child-sized and adult-sized furniture and designated personal storage spaces for educators can improve comfort and efficiency. A well-organized and accommodating workplace contributes to smoother daily routines and makes educators feel valued.
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Scheduled Break Times: Caring for young children is mentally demanding. Planned break times for restroom use and brief mental and physical refresh periods are crucial. Having substitute staff available ensures flexibility and allows educators to take necessary breaks without disrupting classroom activities.
By integrating these everyday self-care strategies, educators can proactively manage stress, enhance their well-being, and create more positive and effective learning environments for the children in their care. Remember, prioritizing self-care is not selfish; it is essential for educators to thrive professionally and personally, and to provide the highest quality care and education.
Resources
References
Buffet Early Childhood Institute (2017) Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Survey. https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/our-work/elevating-the-early-childhood-workforce/survey
Buffet Early Childhood Institute (2020) Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Commission. https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/our-work/early-childhood-workforce-commission
Cumming, T., & Wong, S. (2019). Towards a holistic conceptualization of early childhood educators’ work-related well-being. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 20(3), 265–281.
Edwards, C. P., Hart, T., Rasmussen, K., Haw, Y. M., & Sheridan, S. M. (2009). Promoting parent partnership in Head Start: A qualitative case study of teacher documents from a school readiness intervention project. Early Childhood Services: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Effectiveness, 3(4), 301–322.
Hatton-Bowers, H., Smith, M. H., Huynh, T., Bash, K., Durden, T., Anthony, C., Foged, J., & Lodl, K. (2020). “I will be less judgmental, more kind, more aware, and resilient!”: Early childhood professionals’ learnings from an online mindfulness module. Early Childhood Education Journal, 48(3), 379–391.
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Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. (2015). Transforming the workforce for children birth through age 8: A unifying foundation. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 706 p.
Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The prosocial classroom: Teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491–525.
Maslach, C., Jackson, S.E., & Leiter, M.P. (1996). Maslach burnout inventory-Manual (3rd ed). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Nebraska Department of Education. (2020, March 14) Early Childhood Training Center. https://www.education.ne.gov/oec/early-childhood-training-center/
Phillips, D., Austin, L. J. E., & Whitebook, M. (2016). The early care and education workforce. The Future of Children, 26(2), 139–158.
Roberts, A. M., Iruka, I. U., & Sarver, S. L. (2017). Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Survey: A focus on providers and teachers. Retrieved from Buffett Early Childhood Institute website: http://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/workforce-survey
Sarver, S.L., Huddleston-Casas, C., Charlet, C., & Wessels, R. (2020). Elevating Nebraska’s Early Childhood Workforce: Report and Recommendations of the Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Commission. Omaha, NE: Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska. © 2020 Buffett Early Childhood Institute.
Whitaker, R. C., Dearth-Wesley, T., & Gooze, R. A. (2015). Workplace stress and the quality of teacher–children relationships in Head Start. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 30 (part A), 57–69.
Whitebook, M., McLean, C., Austin, L. J. E., & Edwards, B. (2018). The early childhood workforce index 2018. University of California, Berkeley: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. https://cscce.berkeley.edu/early-childhood-workforce-2018-index/.
