Resilience interventions are a promising strategy to strengthen mental health and well-being, particularly for early childhood education (ECE) staff who experience high levels of stress and burnout. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, this 15-month cluster clinical trial compares two workplace programs for ECE staff—a resilience and stress-management intervention and a physical activity program—on changes in overall well-being.

The study aims to recruit 80 centers and more than 600 ECE staff across North Carolina to assess both immediate and sustained effects on mental health, stress, and resilience. Findings will provide evidence for a scientifically sound, replicable intervention model that can be rapidly translated into workplace settings to promote TWH.

Study Highlights

Impact + Next Steps

Findings will help identify effective, scalable workplace strategies to enhance educator resilience and well-being across early childhood settings. The study includes four recruitment cohorts across North Carolina, with three follow-up assessments at 3, 9, and 15 months. The first 3-month follow-up began in November 2025, and data collection will continue through 2028.