Work and Health among Early Childhood Education Workers in Washington State

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Abstract The estimated 2.2 million U.S. workers employed in early childhood education (ECE) represent a highly vulnerable working population. ECE workers are potentially exposed to myriad health risks on the job including infectious disease, musculoskeletal strain, and high levels of stress. In addition, ECE workers are among the lowest paid occupations, have few job-related benefits, and are disproportionately young women. Aiming to improve early education, education-related fields have recently focused significant attention to this workforce in terms of job demands, low pay, and prestige. However, there is a glaring paucity of comprehensive research on the health status of the ECE workforce, the prevalence and characteristics of poor working conditions they confront, and associations between the two. Importantly, the health and safety of ECE environments might contribute to the effectiveness of the workforce in serving young children's best interests. Leveraging expertise and resources from local partners within state government, community-based organizations, and early education research, we are uniquely positioned to conduct the most comprehensive assessment of the working conditions and health status of the ECE workforce to date. Using a WA State-wide survey, supplemented by on-site observational data, we will describe the working conditions and health status among ECE center workers. We will further conduct exploratory analyses of the relationships between work exposures, demographic characteristics, context (e.g., urban/suburban/rural differences), socio- demographic characteristics, and health outcomes. Integration of the findings from the broad- based survey and in-depth characterization of individual centers will provide both a representative and granular assessment of the industry.