Communities at Work, Canberra’s largest provider of children’s services, has partnered with researchers from the University of Canberra’s Faculty of Education to address high levels of distress and depression in early childhood professionals.
Research conducted by University of Canberra researchers Dr Thomas Nielsen and Dr Jennifer Ma has found that early childhood educators report higher levels of psychological distress compared to the general population.
The partnership will draw on these insights to provide a tailored, evidence-based approach to wellbeing that prioritises the needs of educators. Director of Children’s Services at Communities at Work, Kellie Stewart, said she is hopeful the partnership will provide the wellbeing boost staff need, after a difficult period for those working in early childhood contexts.
“We know our early childhood professionals are extremely passionate, and each day go above and beyond in the work they do. But COVID and workforce shortages have created extreme stresses that are taking a toll on their wellbeing,” Ms Stewart said.
“We want our educators to feel connected, supported and happy in their job and we hope that, through the partnership, we can provide the support they need to thrive long-term. We’re also excited that this could potentially be used as a case study to make a meaningful difference to educators across Australia.”
During the first phase of the project, data was collected from 108 participants working in early childhood contexts, providing a valuable window into their experiences and needs.
“The initial research has confirmed a lot of the things that we already knew from educational settings around Australia — there's high levels of compromised wellbeing of educators, which has been amplified by COVID-19,” Dr Nielsen said.
It’s hoped that this research and professional learning delivered by the researchers, which centres on implementing a Curriculum of GivingR, will empower educators, and in turn promote positive, long-term wellbeing outcomes in the early childhood community across the ACT.