Abstract
Childcare teachers are exposed to high levels of occupational stress due to the emotional, behavioral, and administrative demands of the preschool setting, which often impacts their effectiveness and well-being (Stormont & Young Walker, 2017; Clayback & Williford, 2021). The primary aims of this study were to examine the relationship between childcare teachers’ self-efficacy and stress and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Jump Start (JS) program, an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) model intervention delivered by licensed mental health consultants to enhance self-efficacy, reduce stress, and strengthen child engagement (Natale et al., 2023)
The JS program was implemented in South Florida across 115 childcare centers during the 2024–2025 academic year with 255 teachers enrolled. Teacher self-efficacy and stress were assessed through self-reported measures using the Teacher Opinion Survey (TOS; Gellar & Lunch, 2000) and the Childcare Worker Job Stress Inventory (CWJSI; Curbow et al., 2000), respectively. The Health Environmental Rating Scale (HERS; Futterer et al., 2024) was used as an observational tool to measure teacher-child interactions during a typical classroom day. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were conducted to examine pre-post changes in teacher self-efficacy, stress, and classroom interactions.
Participants were teachers with an average of 5.5 years of teaching experience. The majority were female (99%) that identified as Hispanic (91%). Others identified as White (83%), Black (12%), Multiracial (3%), Asian Pacific Islander (<1%), and Other (2%). Educational levels varied, 24% hold a high school diploma/GED, 39% a bachelor's degree, 13% an associate degree, 10% some college, 8% technical training, 3% graduate degrees, and 3% some high school. Following implementation of the JS program, which provided on average 20 session of reflective consultations per teacher, emotional support, and strategies for managing behavior, teachers reported increased self-efficacy (t-value= 8.12, p-value≤0.0001) and decreased work-related stress across the domains of job demands (t-value= -3.28, p-value= 0.0011), control (t-value= 5.35, p-value≤0.0001), and resources (t-value= 5.34, p-value≤0.0001). Growth in emotional support practices (t-value= 18.80, p-value≤0.0001) were also observed.
These findings suggest that JS effectively supports teacher well-being by enhancing their professional confidence and resilience. Sustainable mental health support within the preschool setting has the potential to facilitate healthy teacher-child interactions and improve classroom outcomes.