The importance of Early Childhood (EC) educators’ wellbeing has been brought into sharp focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, as educators have navigated numerous additional stressors while providing education and care services for some children and ongoing support for many others learning at home. This study aimed to explore the impact of the pandemic on EC educators’ wellbeing and educator-child relationships, as growing evidence shows the influence of these factors on children’s developmental outcomes.

In July 2020, members of a Research Network of EC Professionals—who previously identified educator wellbeing as a priority issue—were invited to participate in an online survey. The survey included two published, validated scales: the Early Childhood Professional Wellbeing scale (ECPW) and the Student–Teacher Relationship Scale (modified). Survey items about educators’ experiences during the pandemic were also included. Two hundred and thirty-two EC educators from across Australia completed the survey, mostly from Victoria where lockdowns were most severe. Linear regression analysis demonstrated stronger professional wellbeing was associated with less conflict in educator-child relationships and lower risk of staff turnover. This was more likely to be experienced by senior or more experienced staff. Although a negative impact of COVID-19 was reported, ECPW scores were relatively high, and organizational structures supporting professional wellbeing were most strongly associated with lower risk of turnover (r = 0.63, p < 0.001). Findings highlight that supporting EC educators’ wellbeing is essential for workforce retention, and for promoting quality educator-child relationships which are central to young children’s learning and development.

在 COVID-19 大流行期间，幼儿 (EC) 教育工作者福祉的重要性已成为人们关注的焦点，因为教育工作者在为一些儿童提供教育和护理服务的同时，还为许多其他在家学习的儿童提供持续支持，从而克服了许多额外的压力。本研究旨在探讨大流行对欧共体教育工作者的福祉和教育工作者-儿童关系的影响，因为越来越多的证据表明这些因素对儿童发展成果的影响。

2020 年 7 月，EC 专业人员研究网络的成员——他们以前将教育工作者的福祉视为优先问题——被邀请参加一项在线调查。该调查包括两个已发布且经过验证的量表：幼儿职业健康量表 (ECPW) 和学生-教师关系量表（修改后的）。还包括有关大流行期间教育工作者经历的调查项目。来自澳大利亚各地的 232 名 EC 教育工作者完成了调查，其中大部分来自封锁最严重的维多利亚州。线性回归分析表明，更强的职业幸福感与更少的教育与儿童关系冲突和更低的员工流失风险相关。资深或更有经验的工作人员更有可能经历这种情况。r  = 0.63，p  < 0.001）。研究结果强调，支持 EC 教育工作者的福祉对于留住劳动力和促进优质的教育工作者与儿童的关系至关重要，而教育工作者与儿童的关系对于幼儿的学习和发展至关重要。