About this paper symposium

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Panel information
Panel 21. Social Policy

Paper #1
Does Preschool Teacher Well-Being Mediate Associations Between Their Perceptions of School Climate and Child Development?
Author information	Role
Jessica Siegel, New York University, United States	Presenting author
Allison Friedman-Krauss, National Institute for Early Education Research/Rutgers University, United States	Non-presenting author
Milagros Nores, National Institute for Early Education Research/Rutgers University, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Teacher well-being is an essential ingredient for high-quality, emotionally supportive learning environments for preschool children (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Substantial attention has been paid to how preschool teachers interact with children to provide emotionally and instructionally supportive classrooms (Early et al., 2007; Pianta et al., 2005; Zaslow et al., 2010). Yet theory (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009) and K-12 research (Bryk et al., 2010; Esposito, 1999) suggest that the school context is an overlooked influence in early childhood education (ECE). As suggested by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), teachers and classrooms are influenced by broader social contexts, including school policies, practices, characteristics, and climate. Elements of the school’s organizational environment are critical to supporting teacher well-being and children’s learning. However, school climate has largely been neglected in ECE policy and research, and the relationships between preschool school climate, teacher well-being, and children’s school readiness skills are not well understood. In this presentation, we go beyond the classroom to explore how lead preschool teachers’ perceptions of school climate affect their own well-being and children’s development during preschool. In a racially/ethnically diverse sample of teachers and children in New Jersey’s high-quality state-funded preschool program, we ask: 1. How do lead teachers’ perceptions of four elements of school climate -- effective leaders, collaborative teachers, supportive environments, and involved families -- predict their well-being, specifically depressive symptoms? 2. How do perceptions of school climate predict children’s cognitive and behavioral outcomes? Does teacher well-being mediate the relationship between perceptions of school climate and children’s outcomes? Data were collected over two cohorts in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years with 236 lead preschool teachers from 79 schools in New Jersey. Schools were located across 15 ethnically/racially diverse school districts with high concentrations of poverty, geographically distributed throughout New Jersey. All 15 school districts receive state funding, are well-funded for preschool, and are required to meet high-quality preschool standards. Participating teachers completed surveys about their perceptions of school organizational climate (Early Education Essentials, Ehrlich et al., 2016, 2018, 2019), depressive systems (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale, Andresen et al., 1994), and background. Direct assessments of children’s skills were completed in the fall and spring of their preschool year. Full mediation analyses are currently underway and will be presented at SRCD. Using multi-level models, preliminary results suggest that teachers’ perceptions of each element of school climate predicts their depression such that teachers who perceive higher school climates have lower depressive symptoms (See Table 1). Using multi-level models, we also find that teachers’ depressive symptoms predict children’s behavioral skills such that children whose teachers have higher depressive symptoms demonstrated more internalizing, externalizing, and total behavioral problems (See Table 2). The extent to which school climate shapes preschool teachers’ well-being and preschool children’s development, and whether teachers’ well-being mediates the association between school climate and child outcomes, is an important area of research that has been mostly ignored by the ECE field but that can guide policy makers and district and school leaders to support preschool teachers and children.

Paper #2
Head Start Teacher’s Well-Being and Program Supports for Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author information	Role
Jessica Harding, Ph.D., Mathematica, United States	Presenting author
Alex Baum, Mathematica, United States	Non-presenting author
Addison Larson, Mathematica, United States	Non-presenting author
Louisa Tarullo, Mathematica, United States	Non-presenting author
Sara Bernstein, Mathematica, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
The well-being of early care and education (ECE) teachers is essential to ensuring high quality ECE and supporting children’s development (Roberts et al. 2019; Whitaker et al. 2015). Yet ECE teachers commonly experience low wages, poor benefits, stressful work conditions, and secondary traumatic stress (Zero to Three 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic intensified these challenges. Throughout the pandemic, the Office of Head Start (OHS) offered funding and administrative flexibilities to Head Start programs so they could support their staff (OHS 2021; OHS 2022). These supports could promote teacher well-being (Jeon et al. 2018; Clayback & Williford, 2022). Therefore, we examine the well-being of Head Start teachers, the supports they received, and the associations between well-being and supports during the COVID-19 pandemic. We use fall 2021 (n=191) and spring 2022 (n=358) data from the 2021–2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start FACES Programs (fall-spring n=144). We measure teacher health (ranging from “poor” to “excellent”), anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; Spritzer et al. 2006), depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale short form; Radloff, 1977), current job stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic (average of four items on a 5-point scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to strongly agree”), current job-related stress (Survey of Organizational Functioning; Texas Christian University), job satisfaction (mean of three items on a 5-point scale ranging from “strongly disagree to strongly agree”). We measure whether teachers received four different types of supports: wage increases, non-wage supports for economic well-being (three supports; e.g., paid sick days), supports for psychological and physical well-being (six supports; e.g. professional health consultations), and workplace supports (six supports; e.g., flexible hours scheduling). We examine teacher reports of well-being and supports received descriptively and then conduct multi-level regressions predicting each teacher well-being outcome from each type of support received. In fall 2021, during the Omicron wave of the pandemic, most teachers reported being in good health, but many also reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, and job stress related to the pandemic (Table 1). In spring 2022, as COVID-19 rates generally decreased (New York Times, 2023), teachers’ well-being improved. In spring 2022, teachers reported they received a variety of supports for well-being. Teachers’ reports of receiving more supports were associated with some aspects of better well-being (Table 2). First, receiving more supports for wage increases, non-wage supports for economic well-being, supports for psychological and physical well-being, and workplace supports were associated with lower levels of job-related stress. Second, receiving more supports for psychological and physical well-being and more workplace supports were associated with better health and job satisfaction. Third, receiving more workplace supports was associated with lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Overall, these descriptive results provide insights about the well-being of Head Start teachers in the wake of the pandemic and ways to support their well-being. Head Start program leaders must choose how to support staff in the context of limited funding. These initial results can provide some guidance, but more research is needed to guide these choices.

Paper #3
Work-Related Stress and Turnover Among Early Childhood Special Education Teachers
Author information	Role
Dr. Allison Hope Friedman-Krauss, Ph.D., National Institute for Early Education Research/Rutgers University, United States	Presenting author
W. Steven Barnett, National Institute for Early Education Research/Rutgers University, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
The number of children with a disability has increased over the last two decades (Friedman-Krauss et al., 2022, 2024a). The federal Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B requires that children with disabilities are provided a free and appropriate public education in their least restrictive environment beginning at age three (Bricker et al., 2020; U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). A well-qualified, experienced, stable workforce is key to meeting this civil right. Increasingly there are reports of burnout, stress, and turnover among early education teachers (Bryant et al., 2023; Helman, 2023; Hur et al., 2022). Given the increasing need for early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers and high turnover, this work explores job-related stress and plans to leave the ECSE field among ECSE teachers. We first provide a descriptive analysis of ECSE teachers’ work-related stress, their plans to leave the field, and work place supports. Second, we use linear and logistic regression to explore the predictors of work-related stress and turnover. We hypothesize that larger classes and more students with a disability will be associated with higher stress, and higher stress will be associated with a higher likelihood of plans to leave the ECSE field and looking for a new job. We also hypothesize that job-related supports such has higher salaries, access to benefits, profession development, and ECSE knowledge will predict lower stress and a lower likelihood of turnover. Data come from a national survey of teachers of three- to five-year-olds with a disability served through IDEA Part B/619 (ECSE teachers (N=962), Friedman-Krauss et al., 2024b). Data were collected via an online survey distributed through state Part B administrators (June 2022 -January 2023). ESCE teachers were predominantly female (97%), White (92%), non-Hispanic (95%), and spoke only English (91%). The Workplace Stress Scale (Marlin, 1978), an eight-item scale (scored 1 to 5), was used to measure ECSE teachers’ stress related to their current position. Higher scores indicate higher stress. Preliminary results show, on average, ECSE teachers reported moderate stress but 28% reported severe or potentially dangerous stress. Forty percent reported being somewhat (24%) or extremely likely (16%) to leave the ECSE field in the next five years and 28% reported looking for a new job in another field in the last six months (Table 1). Preliminary results from the regression analysis show that teachers in public schools, with more years of experience teaching, and with larger classes reported statistically significantly higher job-related stress. Teachers who received benefits reported statistically significantly lower job-related stress. Results from logistic regression models show that higher stress and more years teaching predicted a greater likelihood of plans to leave the ECSE field. Only higher levels of stress and plans to leave the field predicted a greater likelihood of looking for a new job in the last few months (Table 2). Additional analyses, to be presented, will explore the role of professional development supports and knowledge about teaching ECSE as protective factors against stress and turnover. Results can inform policies and practices to support the ECSE workforce.

Paper #4
Depression, Turnover and Workplace Supports and Stressors Among Child Care Lead Classroom Teachers
Author information	Role
Andrea Kent, M.Ed., National Institute for Early Education Research & Teachers College, United States	Presenting author
Allison Friedman-Krauss, National Institute for Early Education Research/Rutgers University, United States	Non-presenting author
Milagros Nores, National Institute for Early Education Research/Rutgers University, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Teachers play a critical role in creating and maintaining high-quality early learning experiences (e.g., Rhodes & Huston, 2012) which are important for children’s learning and development (e.g., Yoshikawa et al., 2013). Teachers’ own well-being is important for children’s social-emotional and academic skills (Denham et al., 2012; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). However, teachers of young children report high levels of stress, burnout, and turnover (Rhodes & Huston, 2012; Whitebook & Sakai, 2003; Zhai et al., 2011) which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The current study explores depression, turnover, and workplace supports and stressors among lead teachers in licenses child care centers in NJ to address two research aims: 1. Provide a description of lead teacher well-being, turnover, and workplace stressors and supports. 2. Understand the predictors of teacher depression and turnover, including workplace supports and stressors. Data come from a landscape analysis of NJ’s supply of and demand for child care. Data were collected from lead teachers of preschool-age children (N=571) in licensed child care centers in NJ between November 2023 and September 2024 via an online survey. Teachers are predominantly female (96%), Non-Hispanic (74%), White (70%), and speak only English (62%). Sixty percent have at least a bachelor’s degree and 47% have a Child Development Associate (See Table 1). We used descriptive statistics to address our first research aim (See Table 2). Seventeen percent of teachers are depressed as measured by the CES-D (Andresen et al., 1994). While 77% of teachers plan to remain in their current center in the next year, 29% reported being likely to leave the field in the next five years, and 20% looked for a job in the last three months. Teachers reported on common worries including not being able to afford their rent/mortgage (23%), not being able to afford enough food (12%) and getting laid off (4%). They reported high levels of supports in the workplace including being treated with respect (86%) and having help dealing with difficult children (77%) and parents (84%). One-quarter of teachers reported having too much paperwork. Logistic regression will be used to address the second research aim. Specifically, the likelihood that teachers are depressed, have looked for a new job, plan to stay in their job over the next year, and plan to leave the field in the next five years will be predicted from teacher demographics, classroom characteristics (e.g., class size, number of teachers in the classroom, number of classrooms they work in typically), compensation and income (e.g., salary, benefits, household income, percent of income from child care job, receipt of government assistance), and workplace supports (e.g., paid time for professional development, feeling supported at work), and stressors (e.g., worries about getting laid off, worries about paying bills, lack of planning time). We will also explore the extent to which teachers’ reasons for working with young children and staying in the early childhood field affects well-being and turnover. Results will be discussed within the context of policies and programmatic norms that support the child care workforce.

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