Trends in Early Childhood Educator Depression: Longitudinal Evidence Before and During COVID-19

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We present novel evidence on the enduring and far-reaching impact of the pandemic on educator psychological well-being. Using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Early Care and Education, we examine depression prevalence for approximately 2,500 center-based early childhood educators first observed in 2019 (i.e., prepandemic) and again more than 1.5 years into the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., October 2021 or later). Overall depression prevalence for these educators rose from 8.6% to 27.9%. Furthermore, depression at least doubled for all subgroups examined. Making under $30,000 annually, being under 40, or being between 40 and 59 years old were significant predictors of depression.