Where We’re Going

The principles outlined above align with and build upon the vision, goals, and recommendations defined in the commission report, are informed by our work to promote workforce well-being, and guide the work of the Institute’s signature workforce program. Selected projects related to these principles are presented below, and additional examples are provided in Chapters 6 and 7.

Research on Early Childhood Workforce Well-Being

To ensure that Nebraska’s early childhood professionals are well prepared and equitably compensated and supported in their work, the Institute conducts research related to elevating the well-being of the early childhood workforce. This work is informed by the Ecological Framework for Early Childhood Professional Well-Being (Figure 13), which is designed to promote a more comprehensive approach to investigating and understanding the factors that influence the well-being of early childhood professionals.150 Although the framework is most applicable to professionals who work in formal, group-based settings (e.g., centers and schools), we anticipate that it can be adapted to fit a range of early care and education settings, including home-based settings.

Current and future research using the framework will examine how the various contextual and individual elements contribute to professional well-being; how relationships with children, families, and other professionals are enhanced; and the degree to which these features of the model are associated with increasing the likelihood that children experience quality care and education. We anticipate that the framework will aid us in examining how policies, characteristics of the early childhood settings, and professional preparation, among others, drive well-being and support teacher retention. We are addressing questions related to how leaders contribute to well-being in schools and programs and what leaders need to know and do in order to care for themselves and support the well-being of staff. Beginning with relying on input from the early childhood professionals themselves, the framework will be refined to aid in more precise articulation of workforce needs and inform interventions that support the individual and contextual needs of early childhood professionals. Finally, we are examining how the framework may guide the development of indicators of progress, beyond recruitment and retention, by supporting the well-being of the workforce.