Promoting sustainable occupational well-being through leadership in Finnish early childhood education

Societal and structural changes in Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) have introduced new expectations for pedagogical quality. At the same time, the intensifying administrative and resource-related pressures are causing challenges to employee well-being and ECEC leadership. While leadership is a key determinant for occupational well-being, growing systemic and operational demands threaten the leaders’ ability to focus on pedagogical and human aspects of leadership. This study aims to increase understanding of ECEC leadership practices that support well-being, as well as the kinds of conditions necessary for such leadership. In this study, we apply the theory of sustainable well-being, originating from Allardt's classic theorization and later complemented by other scholars, with dimensions of having , loving , doing , and being . In addition, the elements of the occupational well-being model and the theory of symbolic leadership are used. The data consists of ECEC professionals’ focus group interviews (21 interviews, N = 63 participants) and ECEC center leaders’ individual interviews ( N = 10). Employing Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory, the study develops a theoretical model for well-being leadership, integrating existing theories with empirical results. The results highlight various leadership strategies related to professional identities, workplace communities, and organizational environments, enhancing well-being. While broader societal and organizational challenges shape and constrain leadership, professional communities, support, and guidelines emphasizing pedagogy serve as protective factors for well-being leadership.