Promising Findings that the Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators’ Program (CHIME) Strengthens Early Childhood Teachers’ Emotional Resources: An Iterative Study

Abstract

Findings suggest that an eight-week mindfulness compassion-based program, Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators (CHIME), is a feasible professional development intervention for early childhood (EC) teachers to support their emotion regulation and psychological and workplace well-being. We offer preliminary evidence that learning about mindfulness, self-compassion, and social-emotional learning supports EC teachers in strengthening their knowledge and application of practices to be more mindful and less emotionally reactive and emotionally exhausted at work. In analyzing both EC teacher feedback and survey data from two pilot studies, there was promising evidence that participating in CHIME enhanced awareness of emotions and the development of strategies to manage emotions. As CHIME is further developed and refined it will be integral to have collaborative engagement and participation from EC teachers and programs to ensure that learning these practices are relevant, helpful, meaningful, and sustainable.

Identification of Effective Strategies for the Enhancement of ECE Enrollment ratio: A Selected Study of District Kamber Shahdadkot and Khairpur Mir’s schools.

“…The cultivation of the healthy, intentional and mindful educators supports the emotional stability and its regulation to lead towards the well-being of the teachers. It augments the knowledge acquisition and application of the practices to cope the stressful workplaces (Hatton-Bowers et al, 2022). All this is possible when the child gets well equipped with ECE classrooms, mechanical, technological devices, well trained faculty and conducive environment.…”

Promoting reflective practice in an infant and early childhood training program

“…Finally, while Schön has been critiqued for focusing on the individual, reflective practices have since developed to include broader social factors and conditions (Zeicher & Liston, 2013). Reflective self‐awareness and mindfulness are key aspects in the awareness of social position and racism (Beneke et al., 2019) and are seen as essential skills in the development of cultural competence (Dean et al., 2016; Tenets Initiative, 2021), anti‐racist pedagogy among faculty and students (Goldstein, 2001; Hambacher & Ginn, 2021; Kishimoto, 2018; Ohito, 2016), anti‐bias education for young children (Beneke et al., 2019), and in collaborative work with others, including supervision (Emde, 2009; Frosch et al., 2018; Hatton‐Bowers et al., 2022; Silverman & Hutchison, 2019).…”

“…One of the great challenges to developing a reflective stance that is open to input from others is having experience reflecting about personal experiences in groups, however, this can be a key component to developing a supportive learning community and challenging assumptions (Carlson, 2019; Cirocki & Widodo, 2019; Hatton‐Bowers et al., 2022; Mather et al., 1999; Ohito, 2016). Students enter the program in the fall or spring as part of a cohort of students who progress through the program together, with shared classes and practica.…”

“…Reflection is a primary tool. Yes, it's clear that teacher reflection is essential as NAEYC Standard 6e states, “reflect on their daily practice and analyze their work with young children in a broader context to modify and improve it.” But honest reflection is also required for the health, well‐being, confidence, and resiliency of the teacher or other infant and early childhood professional (Emde, 2009; Frosch et al., 2018; Hatton‐Bowers et al., 2022; Seo & Yuh, 2022). Even the seasoned early childhood professional must continue to identify themselves as ‘a learner’ if they are to stay engaged, and genuinely enjoy the time they are spending with, and planning for, children.…”

“…First, reflective teaching practices are posited to develop mindfulness capacities among students (Barbezat & Bush, 2013;Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005;Frosch et al, 2018;Hatton & Smith, 1995;Larrivee, 2008;Nugent et al, 2011;Rodgers & Rodgers, 2007). Mindfulness is comprised of the self-regulation of attention and nonjudgmental awareness of experience (Bishop et al 2004;Kabat-Zinn 1994) and is positively associated with interactions with children (Jennings, 2015;Jennings & Greenberg, 2009;Kemeny et al, 2012;Seo & Yuh, 2022) and teacher well-being (Brown & Ryan 2003;Hatton-Bowers et al, 2022;O'Hara-Gregan, 2022). Second, both reflective practices and mindfulness are seen to relate to developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices, nurturing emotional support of children, perspective taking, and sensitive approaches to challenging behaviors (Brophy-Herb et al, 2019;Conners Edge et al, 2022;Jennings, 2015;Jennings & Greenberg, 2009;Virmani et al, 2020).…”