Supporting Head Start Employee Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is impacting many aspects of individual, family and community life. This is especially true for vulnerable children and families, such as those served by Head Start. Added emotional and socioeconomic pressure on families during the pandemic has put disadvantaged children at higher risk for adverse home events, mental health symptoms and long-term developmental consequences.1,2 Head Start programs, which began in 1965, were developed to mitigate the effects of economic disadvantage by supporting the cognitive, social, psychological and educational development of vulnerable children.3,4 Early childhood intervention programs involve a comprehensive array of educational and psychosocial supports which depend on the work of the early childhood workforce.4 The recent implementation of COVID-19 social distancing guidelines has created numerous personal and work-place challenges, resulting in significant stress on the essential workers at Head Start.