Early Childhood Education Teachers’ Job-Related Well-Being: Examining Protective Factors on Stress and Burnout

Early childhood education teachers report one of the highest levels of stress of all other professions, which can lead to burnout and quitting intentions. This paper examines the relationship between protective factors and job-related stress and burnout, including types of support, education, the school climate, and parent-teacher relationships. A web-based survey was administered to 143 early childhood education teachers in the Reno/Sparks area to determine the correlations between each of these protective factors and stress/burnout. Bivariate correlations showed the relationships between variables. Results suggest that there is a statistically significant negative relationship between school climate and stress, as well as highest level of education and stress. Additional correlations were found between the parent-teacher relationship, stress, and burnout. Significance, implications, and directions for future research are discussed including making improvements to the school climate, improving parent-teacher relationships, and further studies addressing the director’s level of education and the impact on school climate