Social Support and Strain Amongst Early Childhood Educators: Insights from Experiences in the Workplace

Early childhood education (ECE) educators play a central role in young children’s learning and development, yet they often work in environments marked by chronic stress, limited resources, and variable support. Social support is widely recognized as important for educator well-being, but less is known about how ECE educators experience different forms of support in their day-to-day work. Likewise, while social strain has been linked to stress and burnout, little research has examined how ECE educators encounter strain alongside support. This interpretive description qualitative study draws on interviews with 27 educators from center- and home-based programs across New York State to examine how they describe and navigate workplace social support and strain. Through our analysis, we identified four types of social support – instrumental, informational, emotional, and appraisal – in educators’ accounts, each relevant to managing daily demands and feeling professionally supported. We also identified recurring patterns of social strain, including unmet support needs, misalignment with families or colleagues, and moments of relational withdrawal. In response to strain, educators described a range of adaptive strategies, from practical problem-solving to emotional self-regulation. Together, these findings offer a more nuanced account of how support and strain coexist in ECE settings and may inform theory, future research, and efforts to strengthen the relational conditions that shape educator well-being and workforce sustainability.