1. Eat well. Easy to say, sometimes hard to do,
but it does make a difference.
2. Get some sleep. (Seriously, how good is sleep!)
3. Get physical. Move a little, or a lot. But move!
4. Learn to prioritise. Set realistic daily goals. It
will all still be there tomorrow.
5. Take a break. Ten minutes out of the early
learning space can afford you the time to
power down and then power back up.
6. Maintain your own personal interests. This will
also make you more interesting!
7.
8. Look out for each other. Work as a team to grow
and sustain supportive working environments.
Educator wellbeing should be supported not
judged. Establishing a culture that places educator
wellbeing as a shared and collective responsibility
equals improved early learning programs and
developmental outcomes for children.
What is the risk of not adopting a clear and
sustained emphasis on educator wellbeing?
Essentially, a workforce that is tired, stressed,
depleted, lacking vitality, and enthusiasm, and who
wants to work like that?
Try a mindfulness practice. Yoga, meditation or
invent your own. But do something that requires
you to conduct your own internal ‘audit’. Check
in regularly and see how you are doing.
ABOUT KAREN HOPE
Karen is an early childhood consultant, academic and freelance writer who has had extensive experience in
a broad range of services within the early childhood care and education setting.
Karen established Karen Hope Consulting in 2014. This consultancy practice provides professional
development workshops. She aims to provide services with a ‘disruptive’ approach to professional
development that aims to challenge the dominant discourse. Karen’s consultancy practice and writing is
strongly influenced by the Reggio Emilia project.
She can be contacted at [email protected]
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www.ku.com.au
OCTOBER 2018