Data From Early Childhood Educators' Work and Stress Study

Area of Science:

• Early childhood education research
• Occupational health psychology
• Stress and well-being studies

Background:

• Early childhood educators face significant occupational stressors.
• Understanding educator stress is crucial for workforce retention and quality of care.
• The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unique challenges to the early childhood education sector.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a longitudinal dataset on perceived and physiological stress among Midwest early childhood educators.
• To provide data for researching educator stressors during the 2021-2022 academic year, a period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To offer resources for research and teaching on educator well-being.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study design across the 2021-2022 academic year.
• Convenience sample of 67 center-based early childhood educators in the Midwest.
• Four electronic survey time points measuring job, general, and financial stress.
• Hair cortisol samples collected at two time points to assess physiological chronic stress.

Main Results:

• The dataset captures perceived stress levels (job, general, financial) over time.
• Physiological stress markers (hair cortisol) were collected for a subset of participants.
• Data reflects educator experiences during a dynamic period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions:

• The de-identified dataset offers valuable insights into the multifaceted stressors experienced by early childhood educators.
• This resource supports further research into educator well-being and resilience.
• The data can inform interventions and policies aimed at supporting the early childhood education workforce.