Constant Crossings: Teachers’ Definitions of Child Wellbeing in Early Education, a Reflective Thematic Analysis

Child wellbeing, as an outcome of early education, features highly in documents and policies in many countries internationally. In Australia, wellbeing is prominent in the National Quality Framework and the new Early Years Strategy 2023-2034. However, child wellbeing is a multi-faceted concept, difficult to conceptualise and important to define in context. This qualitative study surveyed 76 Australian early childhood teachers to garner their child wellbeing definitions, descriptions, pedagogy and practices. Reflective thematic analysis generated themes of ‘Seeing who you are’, ‘We are here for you’ and ‘Let’s learn’, with an overarching notion of child wellbeing as a continual ‘crossing’ of these areas. Hearing from early childhood teachers provides new perspectives, clarity and specificity on the complex topic of child wellbeing. In addition, understanding what child wellbeing is in the context of early childhood settings can inform both education and wellbeing literature.