Abstract
This study explores Ohio Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) workers’ descriptions of their mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic’s first year. This unexpectedly rich theme was found through a broader qualitative study initially undertaken to understand ECEC employee perceptions of inequitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccine among Ohio educators. Data were collected anonymously through an online questionnaire and thematic analysis was conducted. There were eight main themes related to participant mental well-being in our analysis of the data: making decisions to keep people safe, struggle to find personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies, financial concerns, lack of control, inability to social distance due to caregiving role, isolation, and feeling mentally and physically exhausted, and a positive impact on mental well-being from returning to work. These results confirm and illustrate research indicating COVID-19 had a detrimental impact on mental well-being among ECEC professionals and offer insight into the experiences of providers through their narrative responses. Child care worker financial stability is linked to their well-being; ECEC workers should receive systemic support to improve their baseline mental well-being to prevent a crisis such as COVID-19 from overwhelming them. They should be provided clearly articulated tiered supports and interventions to help them manage their mental well-being.
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Wolfe, A., Rowland, T. & Blackburn, J.C. “Half the Teacher I Once Was”: Ohio Early Childhood Educators Describe their Mental Well-Being During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Early Childhood Educ J (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-023-01541-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-023-01541-4