No evidence of a decrease in parental burnout following a child’s entry into early childhood education and care: insights from a four-wave longitudinal study

Parental burnout is a significant psychological challenge affecting millions of parents worldwide, underscoring the importance of identifying factors that can help mitigate its risk. One potential protective factor mentioned in the literature is access to early childhood education and care (ECEC), which provides support and gives parents time to take a temporary break from caregiving. However, to date, there have been no longitudinal studies verifying whether starting ECEC by a child truly has such an effect on parental burnout. To address this gap, we conducted a four-wave longitudinal study exploring whether children’s entry into ECEC influences parental burnout. Our sample consisted of 409 parents (53.4% mothers) whose eldest child was between 18 and 47 months old at the study’s outset. Using repeated-measures ANOVA and Linear Growth Curve Modeling (LGCM), we examined changes in parental burnout over time in relation to ECEC participation. Contrary to our expectations, we found no significant differences in burnout among three groups: (a) parents whose children attended ECEC throughout the study, (b) those whose children never attended, and (c) those whose children began attending during the study. These findings did not support the hypothesis that access to ECEC is associated with lower parental burnout, and point to the need for further studies on structural protective factors for parents. Our results also have important implications for practice and public policy.