There has been a marked increase in attention to educators’ well-being since the pandemic. The majority of this research activity, however, has been focused on the well-being of early childhood teachers while the challenges of early childhood leaders have gone largely undocumented. Using a holistic conceptualization of leader well-being along with the Job-Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the well-being and working conditions of early childhood leaders in the U.S. To this end, we examine descriptive data on various aspects of the working conditions and physical, psychological, and professional well-being of 547 leaders (directors and associate directors) in center-based settings (ECE) as well as 667 elementary/primary principals nationwide. Overall, we found that ECE center-based leaders were paid 60% less than their K-12 counterparts but reported significantly longer tenure in the profession and in their current school. Both groups reported high workloads, working hours well above the standard 40-h workweek, and few opportunities for professional growth, coaching, and mentoring opportunities. The physical health of both groups was poor; obesity, sedentary behavior, and low physical activity were prevalent. A significant proportion of leaders (40%) were at high risk for depression and exhibited moderate burnout. Despite high demands and poor physical and psychological well-being, both groups had high job satisfaction, but also low intent-to-leave and feelings of isolation.

自大流行以来，人们对教育工作者福祉的关注显着增加。然而，这项研究活动的大部分都集中在幼儿教师的福祉上，而幼儿领导者面临的挑战基本上没有记录。本研究的目的是利用领导者福祉的整体概念以及工作需求资源 (JD-R) 框架来考察美国幼儿期领导者的福祉和工作条件。我们检查了中心环境 (ECE) 547 名领导者（主任和副主任）以及全国 667 名小学校长的工作条件以及身体、心理和职业健康各个方面的描述性数据。总体而言，我们发现 ECE 中心领导者的薪酬比 K-12 同行低 60%，但他们在该行业和当前学校的任期明显更长。两组人都表示工作量很大，工作时间远高于标准的每周 40 小时工作时间，并且职业发展、辅导和指导的机会很少。两组人的身体健康状况均较差；肥胖、久坐行为和体力活动不足都很普遍。很大一部分领导者 (40%) 患有抑郁症的风险很高，并且表现出中度倦怠。尽管要求很高，身心健康状况不佳，但这两个群体的工作满意度都很高，但离职意愿和孤立感较低。