Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has been increasingly recognized as a valuable investment in the contemporary and future development of young children (Thorpe, 2020). Using the framework of the job demands-resources model (JD-R; Bakker et al., 2004), the current study examines the impact of teacher burnout and supervision on the…

Early childhood educators (ECEs) face several workplace challenges, including young children's difficult behavior and mental health needs, workplace stress, low systemic support, and high levels of burnout. Both education and perceived confidence are often cited as important buffering factors, yet neither is well studied in the existing…

Research has emphasized that SEL program implementation in preschool settings not only merits special consideration regarding content, instructional approaches, and opportunities to practice skills (Bierman & Motamedi, 2015; Denham, 2018; Jones & Doolittle, 2017; Mahoney et al., 2021), but also should be implemented using a culturally…

Access to playful experiences outdoors is critical for children's learning and development. With a significant amount of young children attending early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings (OECD, OECD Publishing, 2023), these programs have an important role in furthering children's equitable access to outdoor play. As part of a larger…

Curriculum innovation occurs throughout the early childhood education (ECE) sector. This article reports on the results of a survey conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand, during Phase 1 of a two-phase mixed-methods study. The research examines the factors that shape the way teachers use curriculum innovation and seeks to understand how teachers'…

Recent studies report high levels of physical inactivity among most of the global population, including young children. As young children spend a large fraction of their time in school, early childhood teachers have important roles in promoting adequate physical activity (PA) among children. This scoping review aims to synthesise existing evidence…

Insufficient wages and unequal pay create challenges in attracting and retaining high-quality early educators, critical for young children's success in early care and education (ECE) programs. While ECE professional wages are already lower than similar workers, there may be wage disparities based on race/ethnicity and gender within the workforce.…

Early childhood (EC) teacher turnover is a chronic issue for the field that affects children, teachers, and programs; yet some teachers choose to remain in the profession. We interviewed EC teachers with the goal of identifying salient motivators and challenges to teaching in their EC workplace and the field generally. Teachers reported parts of…

Early childhood educators report high levels of stress. Despite increased attention to holistic models of teacher wellbeing, factors relating to teacher psychological and economic wellbeing are poorly understood. In a sample of 993 early childhood educators who primarily teach underserved children, this study uses a multilevel structural equation…

Emotional labour is an important part of teaching. Teaching self-efficacy and job dedication are important parameters that influence teaching. Mixed findings have been reported on the link between emotional labour, teaching self-efficacy, and job dedication. This study examined the pattern of emotional labour performed by early childhood teachers,…

Turnover of early childhood education (ECE) professionals negatively impacts program costs, staff morale, and relationships with children. We determined whether the presence of work as a calling was associated with less intention to leave the ECE field. From an online survey administered to 265 ECE professionals in Pennsylvania, a calling score…

Embracing curricular reforms such as the Next Generation Science Standards poses unique challenges for early childhood science teachers who often value play and curiosity, but are challenged by the depth of scientific disciplinary practices expected by these standards. To explore possibilities for teacher growth, this research draws on Noddings'…

Even though the tenuous financial model for Early Care and Education (ECE) is one of the primary reasons for many ECE programs' permanent closing, considerably little attention has been devoted to supporting ECE leaders' business knowledge and skills. Supporting the leadership and business practices can be an effective strategy for ensuring a…

Research studies and national education standards support the importance of young children acquiring narrative skills for early language and literacy development. Less is known, however, about teachers' beliefs about how essential it is to provide young children with narrative instruction. Using a person-centered approach, the current study…

Turnover in the US early childhood education (ECE) workforce is associated with worse outcomes for children. Greater workplace spirituality, or the perception of meaningful work, sense of community, and alignment with organizational values, is associated with reduced turnover. However, this association has not been examined in ECE professionals.…