For many, work-related stress is often seen as part of the job, with emotional exhaustion, burnout and turnover reported across nearly every industry in the U.S.
For the early childhood workforce, however, such stress can reach beyond teachers’ well-being and into the classroom. Research shows that when educators are navigating ongoing stress and emotional exhaustion, it can affect how they respond to children and families, shaping the tone of interactions and the overall learning environment.
Family dynamics among caregivers tend to be complicated. They can become even more complex when grandparents take on co-parenting roles.
Weiman Xu, postdoctoral fellow at the Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics (MAP Academy), recently explored the association between intergenerational co-parenting and children’s social-emotional development. Funded by a graduate scholars grant from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, Xu investigated the role grandparents play in raising children and how co-parenting between grandparents and parents relate to children’s well-being.
A large proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder often struggle with irritability and behavior challenges stemming from emotional dysregulation — the inability to manage emotional responses. These struggles can include intense, prolonged anger, anxiety, sadness that are disproportionate to situations.
Like other states, Nebraska faces a critical shortage of mental health practitioners. That shortage that may limit some communities’ access to mental health care.
Shortages in rural areas are sometimes due to practitioners seeking larger communities in which to practice, but other causes statewide include burnout and work-related stress — common challenges among those in health care professions.
As many as three-quarters of the nearly 25,000 American youth in residential care have experienced significant trauma, including maltreatment, poverty and, for many, systemic racism and discrimination.
Research suggests that such trauma increases risk for mental and behavioral health problems. However, some youth in residential care with trauma still display steadfast resilience, functioning well even in the presence of significant risk.
For many Nebraska families, finding affordable child care can seem like piecing together an impossible puzzle.
Parents juggle waitlists, long commutes and tough choices between work and staying home — all while early childhood teachers themselves face low pay, long hours and stress.
Autism is the fastest-growing disability category in Nebraska. About 30% of autistic children do not develop vocal speech by age 4 and require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) — non-verbal methods such as gestures, facial expressions, picture cards and tablets to communicate.
Because bullying often begins and ends at school, teachers are the front line of defense against such behavior.
However, teachers in one country may respond differently than their international counterparts.
Jared Noetzel, doctoral candidate in the school psychology program, is leading a dissertation study on culturally responsive teacher training to prevent bullying in schools.
