Early Care and Education (ECE) providers earn low wages, have limited access to employer sponsored health insurance, and are at higher risk for poor health (Lessard, 2020). Evidence shows that poor ECE teacher physical and mental health is associated with decreased ability to provide quality care for young children (Esquivel et al., 2016). One potential way to improve ECE teacher health is through workplace wellness interventions. Through longitudinal surveys and qualitative interviews with ECE providers, we found that, over the course of a year, ECE providers who participated in Be Well Care Well (BWCW), a 12-month wellness program designed specifically for ECEproviders, improved significantly on measures of personal strength and resilience, worker stress, job satisfaction, motivation towards health, and engagement in physical activity, which was supported by interviews conducted by a subset of teachers. Providers’ physical activity was specifically associated with the amount of time they reported engaging in components of the BWCW intervention. Compelling data was also gathered about the experience of children in the care of ECE providers who participated in BWCW. Findings show that after participating in BWCW, teachers’ interactions with the children in their care proactively facilitate healthy social and emotional development. This provides initial evidence that BWCW is a promising approach for improving the lives of ECE providers and the quality of care they provide to young children.

早期保育和教育 (ECE) 提供者的工资较低，获得雇主资助的健康保险的机会有限，而且健康状况不佳的风险较高（Lessard，2020）。有证据表明，幼儿教育教师身心健康状况不佳与为幼儿提供优质护理的能力下降有关（Esquivel 等，2016）。改善幼儿教育教师健康的一种潜在方法是通过工作场所健康干预措施。通过对 ECE 提供者的纵向调查和定性访谈，我们发现，在一年的时间里，参与 Be Well Care Well (BWCW)（一项专门为 ECE 提供者设计的为期 12 个月的健康计划）的 ECE 提供者在以下方面的衡量指标显着改善：个人力量和适应力、员工压力、工作满意度、健康动机以及体育活动参与度，这些都得到了部分教师的访谈的支持。提供者的体力活动与他们报告的参与 BWCW 干预措施的时间量密切相关。还收集了有关参加 BWCW 的儿童早教提供者照顾儿童的经历的令人信服的数据。研究结果表明，参加 BWCW 后，教师与所照顾的儿童的互动积极促进了健康的社交和情感发展。这提供了初步证据，表明 BWCW 是改善幼儿教育提供者的生活及其为幼儿提供的护理质量的一种有前景的方法。