The coronavirus is a collective trauma being experienced globally. While students are experiencing traumatic events associated with the pandemic, such as emotional distress,food and economic insecurities, death and illness of loved ones, teachers are also experiencing these challenges.
As we create systems to support student well-being, teacher well-being will need to be equally prioritized. Research supports that teacher wellbeing is inextricably linked not only to academic outcomes but also to the quality of teacher-child instructional interactions and the warmth and supportiveness of teacher-child relationships.
COVID-19 has created an appetite for school leaders and charter-level administrators to create teacher well-being support. As such, we have expanded our programming to meet the needs of the teachers of our partnering schools. Through our partnership with schools and early childhood learning centers, we provide educators, family advocates and early childhood learning staff with mental health support through wellness services. Our school partners are in great need of this resource and we continue to work to expand our capacity to provide this service to all of our school partners.