Arts Based Participatory Methods to Improve Early Childhood Care and Education Practitioner Well-being in an Impoverished South African Context

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) practitioners in South Africa face financial insecurity, low professional status, and limited resources, which undermine their wellbeing and, in turn, the quality of care and learning provided to young children. This article reports on a participatory action research project that engaged practitioners in three cycles of collective reflection and action to identify sustainable strategies for improving wellbeing. A future creating workshop employing visual, arts-based methods, including drawing, collage, and action mapping, enabled participants to articulate challenges and envision preferred futures. Through this process they developed action plans within the structure of an emerging community of practice named the Rekopantswe Early Childhood Development (ECD) hub. These methods created a safe space for sharing experiences, building agency, and fostering collective responsibility for change. The findings demonstrate how participatory, creative approaches can strengthen practitioner wellbeing and offer practical insights for organisations seeking to address wellbeing in resource-constrained contexts.