Supporting educator wellbeing: Sector resources and strategies for resilient teams

Wellbeing remains a cornerstone of quality early childhood education and care, and leaders are being urged to act now to strengthen the support available to their teams.

The Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) Quality Area 4 information sheet brings together a suite of established resources and strategies to help service leaders support educator wellbeing in practical, meaningful ways.

Drawing on a range of national and sector-specific tools, the information sheet reinforces the vital link between staff wellbeing, quality practice and positive outcomes for children and families.

“When approved providers and service leaders focus on the wellbeing of their team, they influence the confidence of all involved,” the document states.

Service leaders are encouraged to reflect on their existing wellbeing strategies, recognising that tailored approaches are most effective when built around the specific needs and experiences of individual teams. Building resilience, both individually and collectively, has become more critical than ever in the face of workforce pressures, community demands and a rapidly evolving early childhood education and care (ECEC) landscape.

Access to accurate, up-to-date information is identified as a key enabler of educator wellbeing, helping to counter misinformation and promote confidence.

The information sheet outlines several government initiatives that support the creation of mentally healthy workplaces:

• Healthier Work (ACT Government), offers a Guide to Promoting Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace alongside practical implementation resources.
• Workplace Health and Wellbeing Toolkit (Government of South Australia and SA Health), presents a step-by-step approach to building effective wellbeing frameworks.
• Healthy Workplace Kit (WorkSafe Victoria), supports employers to design, implement and evaluate wellbeing initiatives in daily practice.

The resource also reinforces the importance of the physical and emotional environments in which educators work – highlighting that even small environmental changes can contribute meaningfully to wellbeing.

Sector-developed resources and inspiration

ECEC sector organisations continue to provide a growing bank of free, evidence-informed resources that services can use to build a positive wellbeing culture:

• ACECQA wellbeing posters – linked to the National Quality Standard, these posters encourage reflective practice and team discussions.
• Early Childhood Australia (ECA) – shares blogs and strategies through The Spoke, including guidance on infection control, communication and self-care.
• Family Day Care Australia’s Your Wellbeing Matters! Campaign, tailored advice and tips for family day care educators on maintaining personal wellbeing.
• Wellbeing Australia – offers research, fact sheets and reflective tools for team-based or individual use.
• Be You fact sheets – explore seven wellbeing themes: wellbeing, development, social and emotional learning, relationships, mental health conditions, support services and critical incidents.
• Black Dog Institute – provides fact sheets and guidance on mental health in the workplace, including how to lead mentally healthy teams.

Interactive wellbeing programs and leadership tools are also available to support ongoing professional development:

• Be You Learning Community, a free, national initiative encouraging a whole-of-learning-community approach to mental health and resilience.
• Building Resilience in Teacher Education (BRiTE), an online program with five modules on resilience, emotional literacy, relationships, wellbeing and taking initiative.
• Heads Up video for leaders, a resource to help leaders identify priority areas for wellbeing at the individual and team level.
• Albert Park Preschool wellbeing video – shares a case study of one service’s approach to embedding wellbeing practices for educators, children and families.

ACECQA also encourages services to consider how they can create ‘sanctuary spaces’ for educators, calm, welcoming areas that support self-regulation and positive interactions throughout the day. Community Early Learning Australia provides further ideas on how to shape these spaces to support wellbeing.

Educator wellbeing is not just a workforce issue, it’s a quality issue. Strengthening support for educators means building the foundation for strong relationships, confident teaching and improved outcomes for children.

Explore the full list of resources via the ACECQA website.