About this srcd poster session

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Panel information
Panel 18. School Readiness/Childcare

Abstract

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The COVID-19 pandemic magnified concerns for the wellbeing of ECE caregivers and educators. Early educators often work in high demand settings with relatively low compensation, a combination which could negatively impact wellbeing (Whitebook, Phillips, & Howes, 2014). Evidence suggests that early educator wellbeing is associated with classroom quality and teacher-child interactions (Jennings, 2015; Markowitz et al. 2024). While the association between classroom quality and child behavior has been studied (Bulotsky-Shearer et al., 2020; Hatfield et al. 2022), work exploring possible direct connections between early educator wellbeing and early child behavior remains limited. The present study seeks to advance the literature by exploring potential associations between educator wellbeing and child behavior.

Early educators (n=41) working in center-based child care settings across central Maryland were recruited to participate in a 3-month study of early childhood mental health consultation services. The project also collected data on four children in each educator’s classroom (n = 164). See table 1 for demographic data on participants. This study utilizes the baseline data collected prior to receiving consultation services.

Child behavior was measured using the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA; LeBuffe & Naglieri, 1999). Teacher feelings about child behavior and child risk of expulsion were measured using the educator-reported Preschool Expulsion Risk Measure (PERM; Gilliam & Reyes, 2018). Educator wellbeing and stress were measured using the educator-reported Teacher Wellbeing Measure (TWBS) and the Child Care Worker Job Stress Inventory (CCWJSI; Curbow et al., 2000). Multilevel models were run in SPSS to test associations between teacher level stress and wellbeing and child level behavior. Basic demographics were controlled for including teacher age, years of experience, teacher education, child age, and child gender.

Prior to including covariates in models, teacher wellbeing and stress were uniquely, significantly associated with various dimensions of PERM and DECA scores. However, many of these significant associations faded after controlling for child gender, which often became the sole significant predictor of PERM and DECA subscales. Specifically, being a boy was significantly associated with a moderate increase in classroom disruption, risk of expulsion, and behavioral concerns as well as a decrease in initiative taking, self-regulation, and attachment to others. Child gender was not significantly associated with the teachers’ beliefs in the likelihood that a specific child’s behavior will improve nor with the stress teachers reported experiencing due to a specific child’s behavior. Instead, increased teacher wellbeing was significantly associated with a decrease in both of these child-level factors (see table 2 for full results).

Results extend prior research which has demonstrated a continuing pattern of gender disparities in early behaviors (Bando et al., 2024). While this gender gap is concerning considering possible implications for school readiness, results on the lack of significant association between educator wellbeing and child behavior are encouraging. Importantly, findings also underscores the link between teacher’s overall wellbeing and the way children’s behavior informs their stress and wellbeing. This study has implications for the way we understand early educators’ wellbeing and foster equitable behavioral development, which will be further explored during the presentation.

Author information

Author	Role
Dr. Claudia Kruzik, University of Maryland	Presenting author
Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, University of Maryland	Non-presenting author
Dr. Tiffany Martoccio, University of Maryland	Non-presenting author
Dr. Brenda Jones Harden, University of Maryland	Non-presenting author

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