Educating Young Children Volume 1 - Summer 2025 | Page 76

burnout feels like and commits to finding opportunities to take better care of herself this week.

Elena loves the teaching profession, but she is beginning to face experiences associated with burnout and wants to address them. It is essential that early childhood educators have opportunities to practice self-care, such as mindfulness, healthy eating, stress management, and physical exercise, which can contribute to their resilience and well-being. Program leaders can implement practices and policies to ensure that educators have adequate hours to complete planning and extra duties during the workday, so they can use the evenings and weekends for themselves.

Implementing both“ big P” and“ little p” policies focused on educator well-being can help retain dedicated teachers and ensure the quality experiences children need to develop and learn. With staff input, program leaders can establish and document workplace policies that promote and protect educators’ health and wellness.