Supporting Young Children’s Social–Emotional Wellbeing in Early Childhood Education and Care: Perspectives from the Sector
Child wellbeing and mental health continues to be a significant public health issue, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals are uniquely positioned to monitor and support young children’s wellbeing and can thus provide important ins...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/5/569 |
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| author | Lisa Murray Penny Levickis Laura McFarland Patricia Eadie Lynn Lee-Pang Jon Quach Jane Page |
| author_facet | Lisa Murray Penny Levickis Laura McFarland Patricia Eadie Lynn Lee-Pang Jon Quach Jane Page |
| author_sort | Lisa Murray |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Child wellbeing and mental health continues to be a significant public health issue, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals are uniquely positioned to monitor and support young children’s wellbeing and can thus provide important insights to inform early interventions and support. This qualitative study sought to explore Australian ECEC professionals’ perspectives about supporting young children’s social–emotional wellbeing in early learning settings. Twenty participants participated in six online focus groups, with five key themes conceptualised from the data: (1) escalation in child and educator wellbeing needs; (2) discrepancies in educator experience and skills; (3) access to high-quality professional development; (4) prioritising relationships and continuity of care; and (5) nurturing children’s agency, identity, and belonging. The findings encompass concerns about children’s wellbeing and educators’ capacity to support it, as well as suggested strategies to strengthen the support for children’s wellbeing in early learning settings. The implications of the study findings are discussed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dfe710e9bf194593ae9c15d13c53a024 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-dfe710e9bf194593ae9c15d13c53a0242025-08-20T03:14:41ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022025-05-0115556910.3390/educsci15050569Supporting Young Children’s Social–Emotional Wellbeing in Early Childhood Education and Care: Perspectives from the SectorLisa Murray0Penny Levickis1Laura McFarland2Patricia Eadie3Lynn Lee-Pang4Jon Quach5Jane Page6Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Melbourne, VIC 3053, AustraliaFaculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Melbourne, VIC 3053, AustraliaFaculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Melbourne, VIC 3053, AustraliaFaculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Melbourne, VIC 3053, AustraliaFaculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Melbourne, VIC 3053, AustraliaFaculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Melbourne, VIC 3053, AustraliaFaculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Melbourne, VIC 3053, AustraliaChild wellbeing and mental health continues to be a significant public health issue, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals are uniquely positioned to monitor and support young children’s wellbeing and can thus provide important insights to inform early interventions and support. This qualitative study sought to explore Australian ECEC professionals’ perspectives about supporting young children’s social–emotional wellbeing in early learning settings. Twenty participants participated in six online focus groups, with five key themes conceptualised from the data: (1) escalation in child and educator wellbeing needs; (2) discrepancies in educator experience and skills; (3) access to high-quality professional development; (4) prioritising relationships and continuity of care; and (5) nurturing children’s agency, identity, and belonging. The findings encompass concerns about children’s wellbeing and educators’ capacity to support it, as well as suggested strategies to strengthen the support for children’s wellbeing in early learning settings. The implications of the study findings are discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/5/569child wellbeing and mental healtheducator wellbeingearly childhood educationCOVID-19 pandemicearly childhood educator perspectives |
| spellingShingle | Lisa Murray Penny Levickis Laura McFarland Patricia Eadie Lynn Lee-Pang Jon Quach Jane Page Supporting Young Children’s Social–Emotional Wellbeing in Early Childhood Education and Care: Perspectives from the Sector Education Sciences child wellbeing and mental health educator wellbeing early childhood education COVID-19 pandemic early childhood educator perspectives |
| title | Supporting Young Children’s Social–Emotional Wellbeing in Early Childhood Education and Care: Perspectives from the Sector |
| title_full | Supporting Young Children’s Social–Emotional Wellbeing in Early Childhood Education and Care: Perspectives from the Sector |
| title_fullStr | Supporting Young Children’s Social–Emotional Wellbeing in Early Childhood Education and Care: Perspectives from the Sector |
| title_full_unstemmed | Supporting Young Children’s Social–Emotional Wellbeing in Early Childhood Education and Care: Perspectives from the Sector |
| title_short | Supporting Young Children’s Social–Emotional Wellbeing in Early Childhood Education and Care: Perspectives from the Sector |
| title_sort | supporting young children s social emotional wellbeing in early childhood education and care perspectives from the sector |
| topic | child wellbeing and mental health educator wellbeing early childhood education COVID-19 pandemic early childhood educator perspectives |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/5/569 |
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