Features

Nursery Chains: Mental Health and Well-Being - All in the mind

With a quarter of the workforce considering leaving the profession due to stress, Karen Faux talks to some of the settings that are proactively taking steps to improve staff mental health, well-being and sense of belonging

While workplace stress is a common and well-documented phenomenon, its persistence in the early years sector is particularly alarming due to the negative impact it can have on young children.

Just as children thrive best in families which are happy and secure, they also require well-balanced, positive professionals to lead their learning and development in early years settings. These positive adults are more likely to be able to tune into, and be responsive to, their emotional and learning needs.

But the sustainability of a workforce with these skills appears to be under threat from the current pressures of the job. The Pre-school Learning Alliance’s recent Minds Mattersurvey suggests that a quarter of the existing workforce is actively considering leaving due to stress-related issues.

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