Early childhood professionals play a critical role in the lives of the children they work with, and their psychological well-being significantly impacts this relationship. Over recent years, societal changes, coupled with new policy, has increased the demands and pressures faced by these professionals. Therefore, the current mixed methods study set out to explore the well-being of early childhood providers (i.e., owner, owner-managers) in Ireland. In total, 489 participants completed the anonymous online survey, which included the WHO-5 questionnaire and an open-ended question that explored reasons for any stress experienced in the previous 2-week period. Almost 60% of participants scored 50 or lower and over 20% scored 28 or lower, indicating poor well-being and potential depression. The majority of participants reported feeling stressed in the 2-week period prior to completing the survey and frequently cited work-related issues as being the source of their stress. The major themes that emerged were burden of administration, overwhelming financial pressure, and staffing issues. These findings indicate that early childhood providers would benefit from bottom-up and top-down assistance to positively support their well-being. This is vital if they are to thrive in their professional roles and provide high quality, transformative experiences for our children.

幼儿专业人士在他们所服务的儿童的生活中发挥着至关重要的作用，他们的心理健康对这种关系产生了重大影响。近年来，社会的变化，加上新的政策，增加了这些专业人士面临的要求和压力。因此，当前的混合方法研究旨在探讨爱尔兰幼儿教育提供者（即所有者、所有者兼管理者）的福祉。总共有 489 名参与者完成了匿名在线调查，其中包括 WHO-5 调查问卷和一个开放式问题，该问题探讨了过去两周内经历的任何压力的原因。近 60% 的参与者得分为 50 或更低，超过 20% 的参与者得分为 28 或更低，表明健康状况不佳并有潜在的抑郁症。大多数参与者表示在完成调查前的两周内感到压力，并经常将工作相关问题视为压力的来源。出现的主要主题是行政负担、巨大的财务压力和人员配备问题。这些发现表明，幼儿教育提供者将受益于自下而上和自上而下的援助，以积极支持他们的福祉。如果他们想要在自己的职业角色中茁壮成长，并为我们的孩子提供高质量、变革性的体验，这一点至关重要。