A culture of wellness exists when staff and child health and safety are valued, supported, and promoted through health and wellness programs, policies, and environment.
If you are a Head Start or Early Head Start program leader who works with family services professionals and home visitors, a commitment to creating a culture of wellness is essential.
Through your commitment, individual staff can benefit both personally and professionally by engaging in self-care. As well, you nurture the health of an entire workplace when you create and strengthen policies and practices that minimize staff stress and burnout, promote staff wellness, and support high-quality family engagement.
Remember that the "workplace" of family services professionals and home visitors includes a family's home, the community, telephone or video calls, and even the car or public transportation. Support the wellness of staff whose primary role is working directly with families by trying the following evidence-informed strategies:
- Strategy 1. Develop a Staff Wellness Action Plan
- Strategy 2. Promote Staff Self-care Within Your Program
- Strategy 3. Offer Ongoing Professional Development on Staff Wellness
- Strategy 4. Provide Reflective Supervision
Last Updated: August 24, 2022