Because I’m a Person of Color? Stories of Well-Being, Challenges, and Strengths Among Early Childhood Leaders of Color

Abstract

Leadership plays a critical role in promoting equitable and high-quality early care and education (ECE) environments. Within this context, leaders of color bring unique perspectives and experiences that support ECE teachers, children, and families with diverse backgrounds. Despite their importance, there is limited research focusing on the professional experiences and well-being of ECE leaders of color. Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT), the current study aims to fill the gap by exploring the well-being, challenges, and strengths of ECE leaders of color. Using applied thematic analysis, we analyzed interview data from 17 leaders of color working in center-based ECE settings. Five themes were identified: (1) Multidimensional and interconnected well-being, (2) structural and racialized challenges in leadership roles and career pathways, (3) strengths and assets drawn from leaders of color’s identities and experiences, (4) interconnections between strengths and burdens, and (5) suggestions for well-being and work conditions improvement. The findings suggest that improving the well-being and work conditions of ECE leaders of color requires both individual and structural support, including more targeted well-being resources, culturally sustaining organizational practices and climate, leadership preparation and development support, and more stable policy environments.

1. Introduction

The economic validity and health development of a thriving community are closely related to the quality of early care and education (ECE; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine et al., 2023). High-quality ECE supports children’s development outcomes and contributes to long-term educational and economic stability for communities (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine et al., 2023; Weiland & Yoshikawa, 2013). One important indicator of high-quality ECE is the diversity climate within the ECE environments, which benefits children’s academic and social-emotional development (Gershenson et al., 2022; Souto-Manning, 2013).

In the United States, the early childhood workforce is highly diverse, with 40% to 56% of early childhood educators being women of color (McLean et al., 2024). Despite the diversity of educators, ECE leaders of color are underrepresented in leadership roles, with data suggesting that about 21% of leaders are identified as racial/ethnic minorities in the center-based ECE settings (Early Years Leadership Diversity Initiative, 2021). This disparity may reflect the broader barriers that ECE educators of color face in their leadership pathways.

ECE leaders of color, many of whom were teachers before moving into their leadership roles (LeeKeenan & Ponte, 2018), often play a critical role in promoting a diverse environment within these systems. In addition to the program-level operations, ECE leaders also influence the workplace culture and help address structural inequities within educational settings (Douglass et al., 2023). In addition, teachers of color often report higher levels of professional satisfaction and commitment when they have leaders who share similar racial/ethnic backgrounds with them (Hall et al., 2023).

In addition to barriers in career pathways, ECE leaders of color may face additional challenges as they navigate their leadership roles, such as racialized stereotypes and limited access to leadership preparation and mentorship opportunities (Early Years Leadership Diversity Initiative, 2021). Critical Race Theory (CRT) also suggests that such discrimination and inequity is embedded in the daily routine of society, including educational systems (Delgado et al., 2017). As a result, these leaders may experience unique stressors that are associated with their professional experiences and well-being. Their well-being is, in turn, related to their professional commitment and practices (Zhao et al., 2025). In addition, studies in the K-12 settings indicate that school leaders of color are more likely to work with low-income students and students of color compared to White school leaders (Grissom et al., 2021), suggesting the importance of retaining and supporting high-quality ECE leaders of color to promote equity within the education systems. Despite their important role in promoting equitable and high-quality ECE and the breadth of research that has explored ECE workforce composition and conditions, limited studies focus on the lived experiences of ECE leaders of color. The current study aims to fill the gap by qualitatively exploring the professional experiences of ECE leaders of color, especially their perception of well-being, how they navigated challenges in their roles, and the strengths they demonstrated in their leadership. The study aims to provide implications for policies and practices for empowering current and future ECE leaders.

Theoretical Framework

The current study is grounded in Critical Race Theory, which posits that racism is ordinary and enduring, and embedded in the routine operation of society, including institutional structures and policies, as well as everyday interactions (Delgado et al., 2017; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). The racialized structure informs the ways social systems and institutions are designed, such as schools, workplaces, and the legal system, making it difficult to detect and dismantle (Delgado et al., 2017). Within educational workplaces, these racialized structures can potentially manifest through implicit bias, distrust, and stereotypes towards ECE leaders of color (Talan et al., 2022). Such conditions may impact the well-being of these leaders and their workplace experiences by increasing stress, emotional labor, job demands, and feelings of invisibility (Ford et al., 2024).

At the same time, CRT emphasizes the importance of counter-narratives by people of color that are related to their lived experiences and strengths while challenging deficit-based narratives (Delgado et al., 2017; Yosso, 2005). In the ECE field, these strengths can include cultural knowledge, proactive approaches, and experience working with diverse populations (Talan et al., 2022), which may also be protective factors for their well-being. Drawing on CRT, the current study aims to understand the lived experiences, well-being, and challenges of ECE leaders of color, as shaped by the interwoven racialized structure at both organizational and systemic levels, along with their strengths.

2. Literature Review

2.1. ECE Leadership and Leaders of Color

There has been increased research attention focusing on educators working in ECE recently, suggesting that the ECE workforce faces consistent challenges, such as low compensation and benefits, limited professional recognition, and unsupportive work conditions (McLean et al., 2024). These structural conditions are related to their professional practices and interactions with young children (Grant et al., 2019). However, most of the literature has primarily focused on ECE teachers who work directly with children in the classroom (e.g., Kwon et al., 2020; Zhao & Jeon, 2024). In contrast, ECE leaders, who play a critical role in shaping program quality, supporting teachers, and building relationships with families, have received limited attention (Douglass, 2019).

Within ECE centers, leaders take primary responsibilities of administrative tasks, contributing to the decision-making of quality improvement and center operations and improvement, and managing staff recruitment and training, as well as building relational coordination among staff and family (Douglass et al., 2023). Research in the ECE field demonstrates the importance of leadership for workforce stability and program quality. For instance, using survey and administrative data from over 1000 teachers in center-based programs, Doromal and Markowitz (2023) found that teacher perceived leadership support was significantly related to both intentions to stay in the program and actual retention. Similarly, a study of publicly funded early learning sites in Louisiana found positive associations between classroom instructional quality and teachers’ perceptions of instructional leadership effectiveness, including leaders’ clarity of expectations, program vision, and alignment with learning standards (Markowitz et al., 2026).

While these findings demonstrate the importance of leadership in ECE programs, little research has examined how leadership responsibilities and experiences may differ for leaders of color. Thus, ECE leaders of color remain both underrepresented and understudied in the field. Nationally, the percentage of leaders of center-based ECE programs who are identified as people of color is about 21% in the United States (Early Years Leadership Diversity Initiative, 2021). Despite the critical strengths in their roles, ECE leaders of color continue to encounter structural barriers. For instance, leaders of color reported that race, culture, or language can be a constraining factor on their career path (Talan et al., 2022). These responsibilities and barriers may also contribute to increased stress and a decline in well-being among leaders. The underrepresentation and turnover of leaders of color can reinforce inequity, negatively affecting students’ outcomes, teacher retention, and school climate, especially in schools serving larger proportions of students from marginalized backgrounds (Grissom et al., 2021). To date, limited empirical studies have directly examined the lived experiences of ECE leaders of color. Given the significant role of this group of educators, the current study aims to fill in the gap by understanding the experiences of ECE leaders of color, focusing on their well-being, challenges, and strengths within their professional contexts.

2.2. Well-Being of Leaders of Color

While teacher well-being has been increasingly studied within the ECE field (Jeon et al., 2026), there has been less focus on the well-being of ECE leaders. ECE leaders take multiple roles that involve balancing administrative responsibilities, staff supervision, instructional coaching, family engagement, and program management (Douglass et al., 2023). These responsibilities create high levels of job demands that can affect leaders’ psychological well-being (Ford et al., 2024). For example, Ford et al. (2024) found that nearly 40% of a sample of 1214 ECE leaders reported clinically high levels of depressive symptoms, highlighting difficulties with psychological demands.

In addition, ECE leaders face many work-related stressors in their positions, which may directly impact their professional well-being. Bosire et al. (2023) found that compassion fatigue emerged as a major stressor for ECE center directors, who bear the emotional burdens of children, families, and educators alike. ECE leaders report entering their leadership positions with limited leadership preparation and feeling underprepared for the complex demands of the role, describing the need to “learn on the job” as a major source of stress (Bosire et al., 2023). Most often, ECE leaders are the only authority position within a center or program, and they may lack peers who can share leadership challenges and responsibilities. Ford et al. (2024) found that ECE leaders reported feeling isolated in their role, which can further impact leaders’ professional well-being and commitment. Furthermore, Bauer et al. (2019) found that feelings of isolation among new principals were a significant predictor of intention to leave the position.

ECE leaders of color face heightened challenges. Research shows that leaders of color are underrepresented in leadership spaces (Ford et al., 2024; Kim et al., 2024). While research focused on ECE leaders of color remains limited, research from the broader K-12 context has found that educational leaders of color reported feelings of both professional isolation and racial isolation (Cheung & Gong, 2022). Given that ECE leaders often move from teaching roles to leadership roles (LeeKeenan & Ponte, 2018), research from ECE educators of color may offer valuable insights into the well-being of ECE leaders of color. For example, one study found that early childhood teachers of color reported higher levels of stress and lower levels of emotional health than scale norms, with Latinx teachers having the highest stress levels and multiracial teachers having the lowest emotional health scores (Souto-Manning & Melvin, 2022). While this study focused on educators’ experiences during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative data showed that the reported stressors were a prevalent issue prior to the pandemic (Souto-Manning & Melvin, 2022) and may persist beyond. These findings highlight the need to better understand the well-being of ECE leaders of color, who may navigate both the demands of leadership and the additional challenges as people of color associated with underrepresentation in leadership spaces.

Importantly, prior studies have primarily focused on psychological and professional well-being, with less attention to physical well-being or health behaviors of ECE leaders of color, which are critical domains of ECE educators’ multidimensional well-being (Jeon et al., 2026). Some broader studies have looked at aspects of physical well-being and health behaviors for overlapping populations, that is, for ECE leaders in general or K-12 leaders of color specifically (Bosire et al., 2023; Ford et al., 2024). One study on ECE leaders in general found that ECE leaders have reported low overall physical health (Ford et al., 2024), as well as patterns of engaging in more sedentary behavior than ECE teachers, likely due to their administrative tasks. ECE leaders in general have reported their understanding of the need to practice self-care and mindfulness, although they may lack formal systems of support for implementing these strategies (Bosire et al., 2023). For leaders of color in particular, research among K-12 Black woman principals found that they perceived self-care as “essential to their survival,” yet they reported not being able to engage in self-care practices due to their work demands (Armstrong, 2023). Taken together, these findings suggest that ECE leaders of color may encounter challenges in the workplace that prevent them from improving their well-being and highlight a gap in the literature in examining the multidimensional well-being of ECE leaders of color. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on ECE leaders of color specifically and examining their multidimensional well-being, including physical, psychological, and professional well-being.

2.3. Challenges and Racialized Experiences of Leaders of Color

The challenges that ECE leaders of color experience may be viewed through multiple, intersecting identities: through social status from working in the ECE field, through race and ethnicity, and often through gender, as women are overrepresented in the field (Kim & Austin, 2025). Intersectionality theory provides insight into these, describing how “power relations of race, class, and gender, for example, are not discrete and mutually exclusive entities, but rather build on each other and work together” (Hill Collins & Bilge, 2020, p. 18). Thus, it is important to consider these overlapping identities holistically in relation to the challenges that leaders of color face. Prior research has described these as “double and triple binds,” with ECE women leaders of color facing compounding challenges due to ECE status and gendered racism, such as preemptively working to combat gender and racial stereotypes (Northey, 2022). ECE leaders of color may experience additional emotional exhaustion from this pressure.

Despite the unique skills and perspectives that leaders of color bring to their ECE settings, people of color are underrepresented in leadership positions (Ford et al., 2024; Kim et al., 2024). Specifically, one survey in California found that while ECE educators of color made up 65% of the workforce, only 46% of leaders were educators of color (Kim et al., 2024). This underrepresentation may have an impact on educators of color who are seeking leadership positions. In one qualitative study, all leaders of color interviewed felt that it was rare to see leaders of color in high-level leadership positions (Northey, 2022). Additionally, educators of color often obtain high levels of education and experience before advancing to leadership positions (Kim et al., 2024). The inequity of leadership advancement may be especially true for Black ECE educators; one study found that Black educators faced more career barriers than non-Black educators, despite Black educators having high levels of educational attainment and experience in ECE (Early Years Leadership Diversity Initiative, 2021).

Barriers in career pathways can occur at many different steps in becoming an ECE leader. Research from K-12 settings has described the pathway to leadership for educators of color as a “leaky pipeline,” with barriers occurring in 6 segments: high school and college completion, teacher certification, teacher retention, principal certification, and principal attrition (Fuller & Young, 2022). While ECE leaders may follow different pathways to leadership positions than K-12 principals, they may encounter similar barriers throughout their careers, such as gatekeepers to educational advancement (Talan et al., 2022) and discrimination in hiring practices (Boyd-Swan & Herbst, 2019). Educators of color have also reported experiencing racial discrimination in teacher preparation programs (Kohli, 2009), which may further impact their career pathways.

In addition to these barriers to career pathways, ECE leaders of color experience wage disparities. The ECE field, in general, is widely recognized as underpaid (Coffey, 2022). For example, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2024, ECE administrators made $62,640 annually on average as compared to administrators in K-12 settings, who made $113,360 annually on average (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024). Leaders of color, specifically, are even more impacted by wage disparities. For example, Kim et al. (2024) found that Black ECE directors earned $3600 less annually and Latinx ECE directors earned $7700 less annually than White directors. It is important to note that these wage disparities vary between racial/ethnic groups, with Latinx directors most negatively impacted and Asian directors earning comparable wages to their White peers (Kim et al., 2024). In addition to differences in income, ECE leaders of color may also be negatively impacted by funding for their programs: one study found that centers with Black and Latinx directors received less tiered funding, and that this gap widened over time (Babbs Hollett & Frankenberg, 2022). Thus, both ECE leaders of color themselves and the programs they lead may be disproportionately impacted by wage gaps.

2.4. Strengths and Assets of Leaders of Color

While facing various challenges, research highlights numerous strengths that leaders of color bring to their educational contexts (Rodela & Rodriguez-Mojica, 2020). Although most existing research has examined K-12 leaders of color, these findings have implications for the early childhood workforce, where similar racialized dynamics exist. Research shows that when school leaders reflect the racial and cultural diversity of the community they serve, they serve as role models for both teachers and students of color (Grissom et al., 2021). In addition, they are more likely to consider recruiting teachers of color who can also be role models for students of color (Grissom et al., 2021). Similarly, Hall et al. (2023) found that Black ECE teachers were more likely to report leadership support of classroom management in programs led by Black directors, which is especially important given that leadership support plays a role in teacher retention (Doromal & Markowitz, 2023).

Beyond representation, leaders of color often bring strengths in addressing cultural and structural inequities within educational settings. For instance, Johnson (2021) interviewed Black women who were taking senior-level leadership roles within K-12 education and found that while women of color experience oppressions from diverse sources, these leaders are unafraid to confront complex and ambiguous issues and were aware of the intricate and contextual factors in the environment. Likewise, through interviews with principals in elementary and high schools, Mabokela and Madsen (2005) reported that, compared to White principals, Black leaders were more likely to use a color-conscious process during their administrative practices. Black leaders were more actively engaged in addressing the tensions between teachers due to their cultural differences and boundaries and interacted with teachers who may have held stereotypes about students of color. In contrast, White leaders struggled with the development of diversity leadership skills and tended to provide a more symptomatic response to the cultural and group differences, such as looking to Black teachers during placement decisions to explain why a student of color was doing poorly at the school (Mabokela & Madsen, 2005). In addition, through interviews with two Black principals, Angelle and Cooper (2020) found that principals of color are committed to socially just practices in multicultural schools by being inclusive and respectful of all cultures, and empowering students from marginalized backgrounds.

Taken together, these strengths of leaders of color, including cultural knowledge and representation and advocacy practices, may be protective factors and resources for leaders’ well-being, especially when they face racialized and systemic challenges. From the CRT perspective, understanding these strengths provides the basis for counter-narratives about the capacity and leadership effectiveness of leaders of color (Delgado et al., 2017). While existing literature emphasizes the strengths of leaders of color in broader K-12 contexts, limited research has examined these strengths within early childhood leadership settings.

3. The Present Study

The existing literature demonstrated the importance of ECE leadership and how leaders of color play a critical role in strengthening ECE quality and promoting equity for staff and children (Bosire et al., 2023; Doromal & Markowitz, 2023). However, limited empirical research has centered on the voices and lived experiences of early childhood leaders of color. Therefore, guided by Critical Race Theory, the present study aims to understand the well-being, challenges, and strengths of educators using an applied thematic analysis approach to answer the following research questions:

• How do ECE leaders of color define and perceive their well-being?
• What common challenges do ECE leaders of color face in their roles?
• What strengths do ECE leaders of color bring to their leadership?
• What support do ECE leaders of color need for improving their well-being and addressing workplace challenges?

4. Methods

4.1. Participants

This study is part of a larger project focusing on the well-being, work environment, and the need for resources and support of ECE educators of color working in center-based programs serving children aged 0–5. In the current study, we define leaders of color as participants who identified with one or more non-White racial and/or ethnic categories. Participants who identified solely as White were excluded from the analytic sample. In total, 17 participants who were in leadership roles in the program (e.g., program director, manager, consultant, and coach) participated in the interview. Nine of them self-identified as Black/African American, three as Asian/Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, one as American Indian or Alaskan Native, and four as Bi-racial/Multi-racial (e.g., Black/African American and Spanish, Hispanic, Latino/a/x, or Chicano/a/x origin). These racial/ethnic categories were informed by U.S. Census classifications (U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.) and further guided by recommendations for more inclusive and accurate representation of racial and ethnic identities (Viano & Baker, 2020). The majority of them were female (94%), and 24% of them achieved an associate’s degree, 29% bachelor’s degree, and 41% master’s degree or higher. There were 41% of programs located in large city/urban areas, 24% in suburban areas near a large city, 24% in a small city, and 12% in small town/rural areas. Detailed demographic characteristics are presented in

Table 1. Participants Demographic Characteristics.

Participant ID	Race/Ethnicity	Gender	Age	Educational Attainment	Years in ECE	Job Title	Program Community Type
0040	Black/African American	Male	80	Graduate or professional degree beyond a master’s	8+	Program Director/Manager	Large City/Urban
0053	Biracial/Multi-racial: African decent/French	Female	42	Associate’s degree	-	Coach	Suburban Near a Large City
0065	White, Spanish, Hispanic, Latino/a/x, or Chicano/a/x origin	Female	57	Associate’s degree	26	Program Director/Manager	Small City
0066	Black/African American	Female	-	Associate’s degree	25	Supervisor/Coach/Coordinator	Small Town/Rural
0070	Black/African American, Spanish, Hispanic, Latino/a/x, or Chicano/a/x origin	Female	33	Associate’s degree	-	Program Director/Manager	Suburban Near a Large City
0071	Black/African American	Female	32	Master’s degree	-	Program Director/Manager	Large City/Urban
0086	Black/African American	Female	49	Bachelor’s degree	29	Program Director/Manager	Large City/Urban
0089	Black/African American	Female	54	Bachelor’s degree	20+	Program Director/Manager	Small City
0090	Black/African American: Of Haitian descents	Female	46	Some college credit but no degree	26	Program Director/Manager	Large City/Urban
0105	Biracial/Multiracial: Hispanic and Black	Female	35	Graduate or professional degree beyond a master’s	5+	Program Director/Manager	Suburban Near a Large City
0106	Asian/ Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: Chinese and Native Hawaiian	Female	-	Bachelor’s degree	22	Program Director/Manager	Large City/Urban
0111	Black/African American	Female	38	Bachelor’s degree	-	Program Director/Manager	Large City/Urban
0115	Asian/Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: Indian (Hindu)	Female	55	Bachelor’s degree	37	Program Director/Manager	Small City
0117	Black/African American	Female	60	Master’s degree	15+	Program Director/Manager	Suburban Near a Large City
0118	Black/African American	Female	45	Master’s degree	-	Program Director/Manager	Small Town/Rural
0126	Asian/Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	Female	45	Master’s degree	-	Mental Health Specialist, Consultant	Small City
0130	American Indian or Alaska Native	Female	46	Master’s degree	2+	Program Director/Manager	Large City/Urban

Note. Not all participants provided their demographic data because their participation in the study was voluntary, and questions were able to be skipped.

.

4.2. Data Collection Procedures

The study received approval from the University of Virginia Institutional Review Board (IRB). To distribute our study, we first contacted the ECE-related associations and institutions (e.g., the National Head Start Association and the Division of Public Schools) to introduce our study and request that they distribute the recruitment email via their listservs. Some agencies provided directory information so we could send the recruitment email to program leaders directly. Additionally, we used publicly available directories to contact program leaders and introduce the study on ECE social media pages.

To be eligible for participation in the current study, educators must have identified themselves as people of color and work with children aged 0–5 in center-based ECE programs in the United States. We define leaders of color as participants who (1) held formal or informal leadership responsibilities (e.g., supervision, decision-making, or program support roles) within ECE settings, and (2) identified with one or more non-White racial and/or ethnic categories. Participants who identified solely as White were excluded from the analytic sample. Potential participants received a recruitment flyer and an online survey link containing an electronic information sheet for the study. At the end of the survey, we asked participants to leave their contact information if they were interested in participating in the follow-up interviews.

We conducted semi-structured interviews with eligible participants between June 2024 and September 2024. In total, 129 participants, including teachers and leaders of color, expressed their interest in participating in the interview. A research team member followed up with these participants by email to confirm and schedule interviews. A total of 39 ECE educators of color completed the interview. For the current study, we focused on 17 educators who held leadership roles in their programs. Among them, one participant required us not to record the interview and only take notes.

In the interview for leaders of color, we asked questions regarding their well-being, strengths, and professional experiences related to their leadership roles. The development of the interview protocol was guided by CRT (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), asking participants to reflect on whether and how racialized experiences shaped their leadership roles and how they navigated and resisted these conditions. All interviews were conducted via Zoom and lasted around 30 min. In each interview, one team member facilitated the interview, and another took notes. Each participant received a $25 e-gift card as an appreciation for their time and participation.

4.3. Interview Coding and Data Analysis

The audio recordings of each interview were transcribed by one team member and then reviewed by two other team members independently for validation. The coding team of the larger project included a total of twelve team members, including six undergraduate and graduate student research assistants, a research specialist, two senior principal investigators, and two experts in the education field. All interviews were completed before analysis began.

The interview data were analyzed using an applied thematic analysis method (Guest et al., 2012). The analysis was conducted iteratively, with initial coding informing ongoing analytic discussions throughout the process. In addition, guided by CRT (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), our coding and data analysis process attended to the way in which counter-narratives from ECE leaders of color challenged dominant discourses and reflected structural inequalities within ECE systems. These concepts informed both codebook and theme development.

The first stage was exploratory code generation. First, all team members read all transcripts to get familiar with the content. Then, the team developed initial codes and themes based on an in-depth review of 25% of the transcripts. Six senior team members met and discussed the initial codes and themes. Next, two senior team members developed a comprehensive codebook with detailed definitions and examples based on the refined initial codebook, and the rest of the team members reviewed and revised the codebook.

The second stage was systematic coding using MAXQDA (version 24) (VERBI Software, 2025). Six research assistants were grouped into three pairs and double-coded the rest of the transcripts using the initial codebook. In each round, we coded two to three transcripts. The codebook was iteratively updated based on each round of the coding through regular discussion. We assessed reliability using a negotiated agreement (consensus-based) coding approach, consistent with qualitative analytic practices suggested by existing literature (Garrison et al., 2006; Miles et al., 2014). Specifically, transcripts were double coded by pairs of coders, and discrepancies were discussed and resolved through weekly team meetings with senior researchers. We ensured that full agreement was reached on all coded segments within the team before moving to the next rounds of coding. After all the group discussions were completed, team members cross-checked the coded transcripts across paired teams to ensure all the suggested revisions from the group discussions were reflected in the final coded transcripts. This approach emphasizes interpretive rigor, reflexivity, and shared meaning-making (Garrison et al., 2006; Miles et al., 2014).

The final stage was theme development. Based on our research questions, the coded segments were compared and synthesized inductively for applied analytic themes. We generated themes that commonly appeared in interviews to reflect the essence of the research questions in this study. Team members met and discussed the themes to ensure that the themes are representable and comprehensive, and relevant to the research questions. Overall, the analytic decisions were informed by a combination of constructivist and critical paradigms, aiming to understand the lived experiences of ECE leaders of color and attending to broader structural and program contexts that shape their professional experiences (Guba & Lincoln, 1994).

4.4. Positionality Statement

The research team included members from diverse cultural and racial/ethnic backgrounds, including one Black/African American, three Asian, and two White researchers. All team members have extensive experience in educational research and practice in the ECE contexts. Three members have worked closely with educators of color by conducting research and providing professional development support on improving ECE educators’ well-being. The other three team members also bring complementary areas of expertise, including critical race scholarship, over two decades of experience in fostering diversity and inclusion in educational settings, and the preparation of preservice ECE teachers. We recognize that our racial, cultural, and professional backgrounds may influence the design of the study and may bring our own biases in understanding and interpreting the experiences of race, leadership, and well-being. At the same time, we also believe that our engagement with educators of color and experiences in both research and practical environments can inform our sensitivity to the structural and relational dynamics in ECE leadership contexts. Throughout the study, we had ongoing reflections and discussions to examine how our perspectives might influence the research analytics and provide culturally responsive interpretations and implications for future research, practice, and policy.

5. Results

Five overarching themes that are aligned with our research questions emerged from the study: (1) Multidimensional and interconnected well-being, (2) structural and racialized challenges in leadership roles and career pathways, (3) strengths and assets drawn from leaders of color’s identities and experiences, (4) interconnections between strengths and burdens, and (5) suggestions for well-being and work conditions improvement. These themes demonstrated that ECE leaders of color experienced well-being as multidimensional (i.e., encompassing physical, psychological, and professional well-being) and their experiences were shaped by both environmental demands and systemic inequities. Meanwhile, these leaders described their racial, cultural, and lived experiences as sources of their strengths, which enabled them to support and care for their staff, children, and families. The detailed themes and subthemes are presented in Supplementary Material Table S1.

Theme 1: Multidimensional and interconnected well-being

Subtheme 1.1: Multidimensional well-being

Leaders of color consistently defined their well-being from a multidimensional perspective and suggested the interconnectedness of physical, mental, and professional aspects, as one leader described “when it comes to my physical well-being or my mental well-being, I think about me feeling safe, me feeling okay to run my program without extra stress, me taking time to decompress on my days.”(0070) Some also emphasized the importance of maintaining their well-being in “taking care of the school and the kids and the staff and parents.” (0089).

Subtheme 1.2: Maintaining physical well-being despite workplace stress

The majority of ECE leaders of color reported good physical health, with 11 ECE leaders of color describing themselves as physically healthy. They were active most of the time during work and intentionally chose to engage in exercise, such as walking, gym activities, or Zumba. At the same time, several leaders of color reported chronic health conditions, including palpitations, headaches, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Two leaders mentioned that the occupational stressors, including a “chaotic environment” and “issues with licensing,” could contribute to their rising blood pressure (0070, 0090), and another leader shared that whenever she felt stressed, she tended to “get sick more often” (0106). While many leaders described their physical health as good, their experiences also revealed how workplace stress could impact their physical well-being, suggesting a potential tension between structurally demanding work environments and health-promoting behaviors among ECE leaders.

Subtheme 1.3: Navigating psychological well-being through relational fulfillment and coping

The reported psychological well-being varied among ECE leaders of color. Five of them reported having a relatively positive mental health status, feeling happy, energetic, and motivated. They shared that their sense of joy and happiness was greatly associated with their roles in supporting their staff, children, and families. One leader explained:

“Mentally I’m great because…my motto is I make my staff happy, so when my staff are happy, the kids are happy, and when the kids are happy, the moms and dads and families are happy, and then you have a happy center…And I said my joy is that everybody is getting along and everybody is happy in my center. That’s where I get it [joy].”

(0089)

Leaders reported experiencing anxiety and stress from time to time, often linked to aging, caregiving responsibilities in the family, or approaching retirement (0086). While facing challenges to their psychological well-being, leaders also intentionally used various coping strategies. For instance, one leader shared that whenever she felt stressed, she would practice emotional awareness by understanding her own feelings and make sure that she was “okay at the end of the day” (0071). Several leaders also emphasized the importance of relational support and community-based coping. For example, one leader expressed that seeking support from other leaders of color was helpful for their well-being, describing this support as “a storehouse or a resource room that I could go to” (0117), while another described:

“I do a lot of self-care for myself, um, I don’t have like therapy, but I have like support groups that I go to that’s for other daycare providers that we go to together.”

(0070)

These findings reflect that psychological well-being among ECE leaders of color was closely connected to the relational aspects of their work and the stressors in both personal and professional life. At the same time, leaders suggested the benefit of active coping strategies and support from the leadership community while navigating psychological stress.

Subtheme 1.4: Balancing professional fulfillment and high demands

ECE leaders of color shared both their perceived strain and fulfillment regarding their professional well-being. Many participants felt overwhelmed at work due to job demands and excessive workloads, and described themselves as “wearing many hats” (0089). In particular, one parent coach described feeling overwhelmed when supporting parents and families because “each family faced different issues and had different needs” (0066). A program director also shared her stress during the pre-K to kindergarten transition period, when she was responsible for filling enrollment spots, contacting families on the waiting list, and confirming their continued interest (0111). Additionally, several leaders found it difficult to achieve a balance between their professional responsibilities and personal life, with one leader questioning, “When do they want me to take care of myself?” (0065). Similarly, another director shared the challenges in “juggling work life and home life”, as “being a director sometimes that happens because it is the after-hour conversations that you have to have with staff members or parents or things of that nature” (0071).

Despite these pressures, many of them found strong professional fulfillment. Thirteen leaders described “genuine passion” for working with their staff, children, and families. Two leaders shared that their work positively supported their overall well-being. As one leader shared:

“I think it keeps me very healthy. Um it makes me happy, ‘cause I love what I do…it doesn’t make me tired… Um pain yes, I also fight a genetic disease, but I think it’s [my job] keeping me away from my problems because I’ve learned to focus. Instead of focusing on my pain, I focus on the kids and that makes me happy.”

(0115)

Overall, our findings suggest that the well-being of ECE leaders of color was multidimensional and should not be understood solely at the individual level but rather within the intersecting contexts of relational responsibility and structural and organizational conditions. The tensions between relational fulfillment and emotional and physical burden represent a critical dynamic suggesting that they are structurally intertwined: the very qualities that make leaders of color effective and meaningful in their roles also render them vulnerable to disproportionate emotional labor and burnout.

Theme 2: Structural and racialized challenges in leadership roles and career pathways

While ECE leaders of color’s well-being varied, all of them described facing challenges in their leadership roles and career pathways, with many shaped by their racial and ethnic identities as well as structural features of the ECE system.

Subtheme 2.1: Racialized barriers in career pathways

Seven leaders shared that they encountered barriers in career advancement because of their racial identity. These challenges included being overlooked for promotions, facing longer wait times for advancement, and encountering biases based on their racial or ethnic identity, such as discrimination tied to their name or background. For example, one leader described being passed over despite her qualifications: “We are looked over in terms of our qualifications, and certain stigmas are associated to us…”(0053). Another leader shared that her name signaled her racial identity and may have cost her early career opportunities:

“I felt like that maybe I was overlooked for jobs, um especially with my name, and that is sometimes an indicator that I am a person of color. And wasn’t given necessarily the opportunities that others would have received if they were not, if they were not a person of color.”

(0105)

Subtheme 2.2: A lack of leadership preparation and learning through trial and error

Ten leaders reported that they had limited or no formal leadership preparation when they first stepped into their leadership roles, leaving them to learn through trial and error. While these leaders embraced these opportunities, the lack of training made their transition more difficult. For example, one leader reflected on her journey and shared that:

“I had no leadership training, there-there’s nothing offered to you know, you really have to just go through the regulations and learn them on your own… Now I know, but I was not prepared no, not even a little bit.”

(0070)

Similarly, another ECE leader of color described that she felt “pushed back” when she started her leadership role in a less diverse environment. Under those situations, she questioned herself whether the challenges she faced were related to her racial background or simply being new in the leadership position: “Because I’m a person of color? Or is it just because I’m the new person?… Those kinds of things sometimes can make you go like, hmm…” (0117).

Subtheme 2.3: Inconsistent policies and regulations

Inconsistent policies and regulatory demands across federal, state, city, and agency levels were emphasized as one of the major challenges for leaders. As one leader shared:

“Besides being a federal program, we have local policy and city, the department of social services. We have the office out of [location], so we have standards from each of those, so we have to kind of meld all of them together and ensure that we follow each of their practices. And it’s not easy when you have as many regulatory agencies that we are responsible to.”

(0040)

Licensing processes were also experienced as inconsistent and unpredictable, which lead to an additional layer of challenge for ECE leaders, as one leader shared:

“Licensing is not consistent…what they expect from us or want from us…it really depends on who your licensing person and how your interactions is with them depending on whether you’ll be cited or not…it really is based upon the licensing person’s attitude that day and how their feeling, so it’s very stressful.”

(0070)

These inconsistent licensing procedures led to more challenges for bilingual leaders of color, as this Black and Latinx leader shared that the language barriers and cultural misunderstandings sometimes led to being misinterpreted as aggressive or combative:

“not cause I’m being aggressive but just because I really wanna understand so this can be taken as I’m being offensive or being combative and I’m not.”

(0070)

Subtheme 2.4: Demanding leadership responsibilities

In addition to licensing, ECE leaders of color faced many other job responsibilities. Many of the challenges were common within broader ECE leadership conditions, including the management of staff and building relationships with families. In particular, six leaders identified understaffing in their programs as one of the biggest stress factors. One leader shared that the shortage of staff led to her depression:

“I was depressed last year because of the staffing… It affected me mentally…”

(0089)

The shortage of staff may also be linked to wage disparities in ECE, as one leader shared that:

“Staff would be more passionate if the money matched what we’re having to do… I think, since forever, I’ve heard we’re fighting for more pay for teachers.”

(0118)

Three leaders perceived challenges in communication and relationship-building when addressing children’s behavioral needs. One leader described having to disenroll a child after multiple attempts to support the family:

“I’ve had to communicate with the parent, who wasn’t really as receptive. And I’m trying to let her know that we’re here for her and to offer support, but she wasn’t… reciprocating that…it’s not something that I wanted to do, but we basically did have to ask the child to leave based off behavior. ‘Cause we gave the mom chances to…get support. She didn’t follow through. And it all was sad because…it’s what the child needed but the mom wasn’t receptive…”

(0111)

At the same time, leaders of color described additional pressures related to their identities. The experiences of being one of the few leaders of color in a predominantly White leadership context led to additional pressures. For example, one leader explained that she set especially high standards for herself because she felt that “being a person of color, we do have to do everything correct and right, and we must um, you know, be an example so that others know that we’re able and capable to be in this position just as much as anyone else.” (0111) Another leader of color felt underappreciated or misunderstood due to cultural differences: “Um a lack of understanding or appreciation for my culture or what I’m, where I come from, and how the culture influences my perspective and approach of early childhood.” (0071)

Taken together, the findings of ECE leaders of color’s challenges suggest that while many leaders of color experienced challenges in their career pathways that reflect the general structural conditions within ECE, these leaders of color also faced an additional layer of racialized pressure, such as cultural misunderstanding and the need to demonstrate competence. From an intersectional perspective (Hill Collins & Bilge, 2020), this reflects the overlapping systems of racial inequity and the already under-resourced status of the ECE field compound the pressures faced by these leaders of color. These challenges were often interrelated and often required leaders of color to simultaneously manage these inequities and responsibilities within an under-resourced ECE system.

Theme 3: Strengths Drawn from ECE Leaders of Color’s Identities and Experiences

Despite the challenges that ECE leaders of color faced, they identified their strengths related to their communication skills, work ethic, lived experiences, and commitment to equity, which influenced how they supported their staff, children, and families. These strengths also function as counter-narratives based on the lived experiences of ECE leaders of color, which challenged deficit-based assumptions about educators of color in the field and honor their ways of being and knowing (Delgado et al., 2017; Yosso, 2005).

Subtheme 3.1: Communicative and relational strengths as a leader

Ten leaders identified their communication and interpersonal skills as one of their strengths. In particular, they described being able to communicate clearly and build connections with staff, children, and families. One leader explained that effective leadership meant approaching her role as a “helper and problem-solver” and staying “people-oriented”, rather than “feeling superior” to her staff (0040). Another leader shared that her staff viewed her as a “very communicative person”, particularly in celebrating their small achievements (0070).

Building on their racial, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds, these leaders of color showed respect and made efforts to build trust with families, especially those who shared similar identities. As one leader shared, “Even the grandparents…they feel like they can connect with me cause of my color… I can understand, be sympathetic for them. So I believe that is part of my strength being a woman of color like I said in the community that we are in…” (0089)

Another leader also noted that her shared background with families experiencing socioeconomic hardship allowed her to “break that barrier between education and home” and support family engagement (0105). Similarly, another leader of color described her being able to relate to families from her own ethnic group as well as understanding the experiences of those from other backgrounds (0106).

Subtheme 3.2: Dedicated work ethic and professional resilience

Many leaders also identified their strong work ethic and resilience as key strengths that helped them navigate challenges, which were often linked to their identities and lived experiences as people of color. One leader shared that the identity of being a person of color made her job more difficult, but she did not “use it as a crutch” but “learnt and built from the difficulties” (0118). Coming from a minority background and being a first-generation college graduate motivated her to persist even when her efforts went unnoticed. Similarly, another Blackleader shared that she felt motivated to work “extra harder” and pursue advanced training to strengthen her professional expertise and ensure that her leadership would not be underestimated because of her racial background (0070).

These excerpts demonstrate how resilience was often shaped through leaders’ ongoing navigation of racialized and structural challenges. This pattern aligns with Ungar’s (2011) Social-Ecological Model of Resilience, which posits that resilience not as an innate individual trait but as a dynamic process that emerges through the interaction between individuals and their environments. From this perspective, the qualities of determination and persistence demonstrated by ECE leaders of color might not be simply personal virtues; they might be adaptive responses cultivated through sustained engagement with structurally inequitable conditions. At the same time, our findings point out the needs of organizational and systemic changes so that resilience is no longer treated as a prerequisite for survival in ECE leadership, especially for ECE leaders of color.

In addition, five ECE leaders of color also perceived their extensive experiences in the ECE field and working with diverse populations as one of their major strengths. One leader shared that her stepping into a leadership role was aimed at using her experiences working with a diverse population to support others with less experience because she realized that “a better way to not have to worry about who was going to be in that role, is to actually take that role on” (0086). Another leader of color shared how her teaching experiences working in diverse cultural environments could influence the perspectives she brings to her current work with educators and children:

“I think that my experience working in the Middle East, this is what I, what I bring, and it’s a very different environment, and I’ve been in the classroom… I was never thought of less than, and this is how I portray myself.”

(0065)

Subtheme 3.3: Advocacy and support for staff

Furthermore, ECE leaders of color emphasized their strengths as being willing to advocate and support their staff. They supported mentorship and equitable promotion opportunities, from both their prior experiences as former teachers and their racial and cultural identities. Many described how their prior experience as classroom teachers helped them understand and empathize with their staff’s challenges. As one leader noted: “With being a teacher and then becoming a manager, I can look at both sides when it comes to different situations.” (0086)

As ECE leaders of color, they understood the importance of providing more opportunities for teachers of color and to counter barriers they themselves had faced:

“It’s nothing more [important] than giving them the opportunity to get experience. Because sometimes I have seen that they are hesitant to hire teachers who are of color, and you can’t get that experience in any setting if you’re not getting the opportunity to show what you know.”

(0105)

Some leaders also saw their own presence as contributing to a sense of belonging for staff of color. One explained that her staff “feel like they can relate to me” because of her shared identity and experiences (0089).

In addition, 12 leaders of color identified their strengths as being able to empower and advocate for their staff, which was particularly important in settings where leaders of color worked within predominantly White institutions. One leader described her efforts to ensure that teachers of all backgrounds, particularly those of color, were respected and heard:

“I am part of an institution where the children, the parents are predominantly white. We work in a, a setting that is of a higher class. There are teachers that are here that are, are Black as well but it’s advocating and making sure that our teachers are heard, regardless of you know the color they are, but that specifically for the-the teachers of color, that they are not looked down on…So it’s making sure that teachers are respected.”.

(0071)

Overall, ECE leaders of color perceived that their strengths, including communicative skills, resilience, commitment, and advocacy for staff, were drawn from both their cultural and racial identities and professional trajectories. These strengths helped them build trust with families and advocate for staff to promote a more inclusive ECE environment. At the same time, these strengths helped them navigate challenges and approach leadership in the ECE settings.

Theme 4: Interconnections between Strengths and Burdens

While ECE leaders of color described their strengths drawing from their lived experiences and racial and cultural backgrounds, it is also noted that the same qualities that enabled leaders of color to support children, families, and staff also exposed them to additional emotional labor, responsibilities, and vulnerabilities.

For instance, one leader shared that she had extensive experience in the field as both a teacher and program leader, which helped her “look at both sides when it comes to different situations” and support staff empathetically (0086). However, she also described the emotional demands of managing administrative responsibilities, supporting staff, and maintaining professional boundaries at the same time. She explained that staff sometimes misunderstood her need for privacy or distance during stressful situations, creating additional emotional pressure while navigating leadership responsibilities:

“So I was doing admin and managing the staff at the same time…if you see me keep waving people off, but constantly, people are coming to me, coming to me, coming to me. And they’re not used to me actually waving them off, so they’re … confused… they have no clue…I might just be closing the door but what they don’t realize is …there’s conversations sometimes that you’re having you don’t want everyone to hear.”

(0086)

In addition, leaders described how their commitment to advocacy and staff support could become emotionally demanding. One Black leader expressed that she felt grateful to have the opportunity to be “a leader in the community” and be “a great inspiration to other people”. She described feeling a strong sense of responsibility to support her staff’s professional growth. At the same time, balancing these expectations created emotional pressure, as she worried about placing additional stress on teachers who were already managing multiple responsibilities. As a result, she had to shift toward a more flexible approach to staff’s professional development:

“In the beginning I was like you know you have to have you CDA by the end of the year, you need to get your associates between two years. Now, I’ve changed all of that. Um, I offered them to get their CDA in their-at their own pace, at their own time when they’re ready and I pay for the class so they can do it online.”

(0070)

Furthermore, leaders’ willingness to challenge racial stereotypes and advocating for equity often exposed them to heightened vulnerability. One leader described that “I’ve had to disrupt racial you know stereotypes and racist statements um, you know it’s a privilege to be in this position and … it also presents some vulnerability because not everybody is open to feedback um on their racism” (0126). Similarly, another leader explained that her resilience and professionalism sometimes led others to overlook her own emotional needs and well-being:

“Um at times I feel like um people, they do view me as like the strong one, so when I do feel like I have a concern or issue it’s not taken as serious all the time… I feel always having to be, or perceived as being strong, and you know the expectation of that kind of like throwing others off.”

(0071)

Overall, these suggest that the strengths of ECE leaders of color were connected with additional emotional labor and pressure. Emotional labor involves the management of feelings to fulfill the emotional requirements of a role (Hochschild, 1983). Our findings suggest that ECE leaders of color engage in a particularly intensive and often unrecognized form of emotional labor. Their advocacy roles, cultural brokering, and representational responsibilities constitute work that is rarely formalized, compensated, or acknowledged within organizational structures, yet carries substantial psychological costs. This invisible labor is not a peripheral concern; it represents a structural dimension of inequity that organizations must explicitly address if they are to support the sustained well-being and leadership effectiveness of educators of color.

Theme 5: Suggestions for Well-being and Work Conditions Improvement

Along with the identified challenges and needs, ECE leaders of color also shared their suggestions on providing more targeted support for this group from the perspectives of both individual well-being and organizational conditions. Their suggestions focused on workload management and well-being support, professional development and training resources, supportive leadership and communication, and cultivating a more inclusive and equitable workplace culture.

Subtheme 5.1: Workload Management and Well-being Resources

Support for workload management was consistently emphasized by ECE leaders of color. Two leaders shared that they were committed to their jobs and worked long hours, so better time management would be beneficial for their well-being (0070). The availability of qualified staff can also be beneficial for leaders’ workload management, as one leader put it: “You [the leader herself] have to also surround yourself with a number of talented individuals, because no administrator or manager knows it all…I still would need individuals that come in with fresh ideas and are enthusiastic and energetic, to take the program to the next level.” (0040)

In addition, leaders expressed the need for more self-care opportunities, such as a once-a-year spa day for mental health (0066). One ECE leader emphasized that while she was “always giving and making sure that everybody else is okay,” she also needs to remember to take time for herself (0111). A support group was also suggested by leaders to improve their well-being, as one leader shared:

“I think I would probably want a village, of other site supervisors or other directors that have conversations with me…You don’t have that type of support group. You don’t. Which can be hard when you start something new, you want to have like…an accountability partner to tell you things like “oh, this is what happened to me the first year and I had to experience this and don’t worry about that.”

(0130)

Subtheme 5.2: Professional development and training resources

ECE leaders of color described the benefits of professional development and training resources to improve their work conditions and well-being. As one leader pointed out, “leadership development and things of that nature, you know helping our understanding to the navigation of the complexities of being a minority in a predominantly white setting.” (0071)

Professional development and training can also serve as a social support opportunity to promote leaders’ well-being, as suggested by multiple leaders of color, “just having like small gatherings or small functions to build adult socializations” (0060), and conferences specifically designed for educators of color can also help leaders of color to build connections with others who share similar backgrounds, perspectives, and challenges (0066).

ECE leaders of color also emphasized the importance of ensuring diversity and inclusion in professional development trainings. First, one leader described the need to ensure that trainer groups can, to some extent, represent and understand the culture of educators and communities (0070). Second, leaders also suggested the need for providing professional development programs that can equip all educators with the ability to “work with different cultures” and introduce the ECE curricula that “incorporate different ethnic, traditions, and values” (0111).

Subtheme 5.3: Supportive Leadership and Communication

ECE program leaders stated the importance of better communication from higher-level leadership. Multiple leaders described communication as one of the aspects that needed to be improved, as leaders of color sometimes felt their opinions were “mostly like almost criticized and pushed back” (0090). In particular, leaders emphasized the need to be heard, especially considering that they were practitioners interacting with teachers and children directly. As one leader pointed out:

“Sometimes I feel that they don’t hear feedback when you tell them…Instead of listening to anything, they feel like they are always right… we know that there’s a theory to things, and then there’s also a practical aspect to things. And practical aspects need to be at least considered in at least, and that’s the thing I find is missing is consideration and lack of-of conversation and lack of communication.”

(0053)

Others also suggested the need to improve communications between educators of color and White educators, as they pointed out the importance of “sympathizing with people” from different backgrounds (0089) so that “both groups can work together” (0111).

Subtheme 5.4: Inclusive and equitable workplace culture

ECE leaders also emphasized the importance of promoting an inclusive and equitable workplace culture for their overall well-being and work environment. First, showing respect for diverse cultures was requested by multiple leaders, as one leader put, “You don’t have to agree with me, you don’t have to like my culture, but just respect it the same way I respect everyone else’s culture” (0086). Awareness and respect are important even within the same racial and ethnic groups, as one Black leader suggested that “Even within being a person of color…We all still grew up differently.” (0086).

Second, cultural awareness training was highlighted as a way of building an equitable and inclusive workplace environment. One leader described the necessity of improving the diversity and equity awareness of educators as “naturally human beings come with bias,” adding that it is critical that leaders build “intimate, personal, caring conversations” with their staff and families (0066). This awareness can start from a “basic understanding of topics such as privilege, white supremacy, intersectionality, tokenism” (0126). Similarly, another leader suggested that celebrating different cultures is a critical step to promote diversity understanding among educators, which would “make people of color feel welcomed” and it should not be only celebrating one culture at one time period (e.g., Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month) but should be “a celebration and inclusiveness year-round”, so that educators of different cultures are “equally as celebrated and loved” (0105).

Taken together, leaders of color suggested the need for resources and support at both the individual and systemic levels to help them navigate the challenges and responsibilities drawn from the intersectionality of their leadership roles, racialized experiences, and under-resourced ECE context (Hill Collins & Bilge, 2020; Northey, 2022).

6. Discussion

This study investigated the lived experiences of ECE leaders of color by focusing on how they define and experience their well-being, the challenges in their work environment, their strengths within the ECE leadership contexts, and their suggestions for improving well-being and work conditions. ECE leaders of color described their well-being as multidimensional and shared how their well-being was impacted by job demands and work conditions. They also shared their experienced challenges related to career pathways, leadership preparation, and responsibilities. Meanwhile, they identified their strengths in communicative and relational leadership, strong work ethics, and advocacy and empowerment for staff and families. Using CRT as an analytic lens, the findings of the current study demonstrated the complex interplay between ECE leaders’ internal resources and racialized organizational structures, as well as how these dynamics hindered or supported them in navigating early childhood leadership contexts.

6.1. ECE Leaders of Color’s Well-Being

Although research on well-being among the ECE workforce has steadily increased, this study contributes to the literature by directly focusing on leaders of color within the ECE context. In addition, our study employed a multidimensional approach to well-being by examining physical, professional, and psychological well-being together. As expected, the findings indicate that ECE leaders of color conceptualize their well-being as multidimensional and relational. Rather than viewing physical, psychological, and professional well-being as separate domains, they understood their well-being as closely connected to the happiness and stability of the children, families, and staff they work with. In this sense, their well-being emerged not simply as an individual condition but as an experience shaped by relational responsibilities and organizational contexts, which is aligned with the Ecological Model of Holistic Early Childhood Workforce Well-being, suggesting ECE educators’ well-being is shaped by various contextual factors (Jeon et al., 2026). This relational orientation toward well-being also resonates with Noddings’ (2003) ethics of care, which posits that well-being is inherently embedded in caring relationships and the responsibilities that arise from them. In this framework, the well-being of ECE leaders of color cannot be fully understood apart from the relational networks in which they are situated.

At the same time, ECE leaders of color reported experiencing professional stressors, including excessive workloads, regulatory pressures, and staff shortages, which may negatively relate to their psychological well-being. These findings are consistent with research documenting high levels of burnout, stress, and depressive symptoms among the broader ECE leadership workforce (Ford et al., 2024). Notably, these structural stressors are not unique to the U.S. context. The OECD’s Starting Strong reports (OECD, 2021) have consistently documented that ECE workforce well-being is significantly shaped by systemic factors such as inadequate compensation, limited career progression structures, and insufficient professional support—conditions that are prevalent across many OECD member countries. The alignment between the present findings and international data underscores that the challenges experienced by ECE leaders of color reflect not only racialized organizational dynamics but also broader structural deficits in how ECE leadership is supported globally. Nevertheless, leaders of color also described experiencing a strong sense of fulfillment and purpose through supporting their communities, aligning with prior research indicating that ECE leaders derive professional commitment and meaning from supporting young children and families in need (Bosire et al., 2023).

Importantly, this study extends existing literature by suggesting that ECE leaders of color may perceive the well-being of their organizational community as a personal obligation, often extending beyond formal role expectations. Their relationally oriented leadership may serve as a source of professional accomplishment and meaning, while simultaneously functioning as a pathway through which emotional burden accumulates. This paradox calls for organizational responses that honor relational leadership without exploiting it. Therefore, the well-being of ECE leaders of color should not be understood solely at the individual level but rather within the intersecting contexts of relational responsibility and structural and organizational conditions.

6.2. Challenges in Career Pathways, Demands, and Systemic Inequity

The findings also demonstrate that ECE leaders of color experienced complex barriers across career pathways, leadership preparation, and their broader work environments by the intersections of their racial identities and the marginalized status of the ECE field (Hill Collins & Bilge, 2020; Northey, 2022). Participants reported being overlooked for promotions or having to wait longer for advancement because of their racial identities, despite having the necessary qualifications and experience. This inequity in leadership functions like property, in the way that Ladson-Billings and Tate (1995) and Harris (1995) describe whiteness in their conceptualization of CRT. ECE leaders, being marginalized from advancement opportunities, struggle with what Harris (1995) describes as the right of use and enjoyment as well as the right of exclusion. Moreover, these findings are consistent with prior research indicating that leaders of color perceive race, culture, and language as constraining factors in career advancement (Talan et al., 2022). They often serve as role models for the ECE workforce, providing experiential support for the documented underrepresentation of educators of color in ECE leadership positions (Kim et al., 2024). Such experiences reflect what scholars have termed the ‘prove-it-again bias’ (Williams & Dempsey, 2014; Madera et al., 2019), wherein leaders of color are held to higher standards of competence than their White counterparts, while simultaneously being expected to fulfill informal representational roles that fall outside formal job descriptions. From an Intersectionality perspective (Hill Collins & Bilge, 2020), this reflects the overlapping systems of racial inequity and the already under-resourced status of the ECE field compound the pressures faced by these leaders in ways that are distinct from those experienced by either white ECE leaders or leaders of color in broader education contexts. This dynamic may, in turn, contribute to heightened psychological and emotional strain.

A lack of leadership preparation also emerged as a significant challenge. Many participants described stepping into leadership roles without formal training and having to learn on the job. This aligns with Bosire et al.’s (2023) findings that learning through practice is a major source of stress among ECE leaders. However, the present study further suggests that some leaders struggled to determine whether the challenges they encountered were related to racial dynamics, pointing to both institutional gaps in leadership development and broader issues of perception and bias among ECE leaders of color.

Additionally, staff shortages, inconsistent regulations for licensing, and excessive administrative demands intensified ECE leaders of color’s psychological burdens. These findings correspond with research documenting high job demands, depressive symptoms, and professional isolation among ECE leaders (Ford et al., 2024). These may be particularly pronounced for ECE leaders of color, who reported feeling subject to heightened scrutiny or being undervalued within organizational contexts where they were underrepresented. Such experiences mirror findings from the K-12 context, where leaders of color overall have reported both professional and racial isolation (Cheung & Gong, 2022), suggesting that positional marginality may similarly shape leadership experiences in ECE settings. However, it is important to note that the ECE context presents unique structural vulnerabilities that may intensify these experiences relative to K-12 settings. The ECE field is broadly characterized by lower wages, limited institutional prestige, and inconsistent policy frameworks that the OECD (2021) has identified as systemic barriers to workforce quality and stability across member nations. For leaders of color operating within this already precarious field, these structural disadvantages intersect with racial marginalization, creating compounded conditions of inequity that are unlikely to be resolved through individual-level interventions alone.

The challenges faced by ECE leaders of color extend beyond individual capacity and should be understood within broader structures of career access, leadership development systems, and organizational culture. The findings suggest how structural and institutional racial inequities and the ongoing marginalization of people of color influenced their access to career advancement opportunities (Dixson & Rousseau Anderson, 2018). These leaders navigate not only the inherent responsibilities of leadership, but also additional pressures associated with their racialized social identities.

6.3. Strengths as a Leader of Color in the ECE Context

Despite the challenges they navigated, this study highlights the significant strengths that ECE leaders of color bring to their leadership practices. While prior research has primarily examined the representation and impact of leaders of color in K-12 contexts (Grissom et al., 2021), the present study empirically extends the literature to the ECE context. Participants identified cultural understanding, empathy, and active advocacy for teachers and families as central leadership assets of ECE leaders of color. These findings align with prior research, suggesting that when leaders share racial and ethnic identities with the communities they serve, they may foster greater trust and more supportive organizational environments (Hall et al., 2023).

In addition to these relational strengths, the participants described drawing on a strong work ethic and professional resilience developed through their lived experiences. The participants reflected on how navigating structural barriers throughout their careers had shaped their determination and persistence as leaders. Some participants shared examples of pursuing additional training or advanced education as a way of overcoming biases towards people of color. Notably, many ECE leaders of color described drawing upon their own experiences of career barriers and discrimination to create more equitable opportunities for teachers. Consistent with Johnson (2021) and Mabokela and Madsen (2005), this suggests that leaders of color may play an active role in advancing equity and cultural responsiveness within their organizations. Importantly, these accounts of strength forged through adversity resonate with Ungar’s (2011) social-ecological model of resilience, which reconceptualizes resilience not as an innate individual trait but as a dynamic process that emerges through the interaction between individuals and their environments. From this perspective, the determination and persistence demonstrated by ECE leaders of color might not be simply personal virtues; they might be adaptive responses cultivated through sustained engagement with structurally inequitable conditions. This reframing is theoretically significant as it shifts the analytical focus from individual capability to the structural conditions that necessitate such resilience in the first place and raises critical questions about the organizational and systemic changes needed so that resilience is no longer a prerequisite for leadership survival.

The leadership practices described by participants also reflect what scholars have conceptualized as professional agency such as the capacity of educators to act purposefully and constructively in shaping their work and professional identity in response to contextual constraints (Priestley et al., 2015). ECE leaders of color in this study demonstrated professional agency not only by navigating systemic barriers but also by actively transforming their experiences of adversity into equitable practices for their staff and communities. Importantly, this form of agency was not exercised in spite of structural constraints but was cultivated through sustained engagement with them, suggesting that professional agency among leaders of color is deeply relational and context-dependent rather than purely individualistic.

Furthermore, participants’ descriptions of drawing upon their own experiences of discrimination and career barriers to create more equitable opportunities for others reflect a form of critical reflective practice (Schön, 2017), through which lived experience becomes a generative resource for professional learning and organizational change. Rather than remaining passive recipients of systemic inequity, these leaders engaged in ongoing critical reflection that translated personal adversity into purposeful leadership action. This capacity for reflective practice represents a significant, yet underrecognized, professional strength that ECE leadership development programs should actively cultivate and support.

However, the present study emphasizes that such strengths should not be understood merely as individual traits or dispositions. Rather, they represent leadership approaches shaped in response to structural constraints and experiences of exclusion. In this sense, the strengths of leaders of color are not separated from the barriers they have encountered; instead, they are forged through those experiences as forms of practice and agency. The roles of advocacy and representation include additional emotional labor and responsibilities for these ECE leaders of color. Therefore, narratives that highlight the strengths of leaders of color should also attend to the added burdens they carry.

6.4. Suggestions for Improving Well-Being and Work Conditions

Building on their lived experiences, ECE leaders of color offered recommendations aimed at strengthening well-being and improving working conditions. Participants emphasized that individual self-care alone is insufficient and that meaningful improvement requires structural and organizational support. Key areas identified included workload adjustments, adequate staffing, systematic leadership preparation, peer leadership networks, and the cultivation of inclusive organizational cultures. These recommendations underscore the importance of moving beyond approaches that frame well-being primarily as an issue of individual resilience or self-care and instead emphasize strengthening institutional resources and organizational supports that address structural working conditions (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007; Gorski, 2019).

Leaders of color highlighted the need for cultural respect and equitable communication within their organizations. They expressed a desire for their perspectives to be genuinely acknowledged and incorporated into decision-making processes. This calls for institutional practices that foster inclusive and equity-oriented leadership environments. When ECE leaders of color’s voices are marginalized, their well-being may be further compromised, which in turn may reinforce patterns of structural inequity in the ECE field. These recommendations find resonance in international quality frameworks for ECE leadership. The OECD’s Starting Strong V report (OECD, 2021) identifies systemic leadership support—including structured mentorship, professional learning communities, and equitable career pathways—as core indicators of ECE quality across member nations. The fact that the participants’ recommendations converge with internationally recognized quality benchmarks strengthens the argument that the structural supports they call for are not exceptional accommodation but fundamental conditions for effective and equitable ECE leadership. Policymakers and organizational leaders in the ECE field therefore should not regard these recommendations as optional enhancements, but rather as essential components of a quality ECE system.

6.5. Limitations

There are several limitations of the current study. First, although the research team intentionally included multiple coders and ongoing group discussions to reduce the potential bias and ensure the analytic rigor, other interpretations of the data are still possible. Further, the thematic structure that emerged was aligned with our research questions, although this may be due to the development of research questions based on existing research, theoretical frameworks such as CRT, and the research team’s prior experience working with ECEOCs. Additionally, given that one interview was not recorded to honor the participant’s preference, there was some variance in the data collection, even with careful note-taking during the interview.

Second, the relatively small sample size may limit the generalizability of the study findings. Also, over half of the leaders of color in the current study were identified as Black/African American, and the leadership role of most participants was program director/manager. In addition, we limited our recruitment to those who worked in center-based programs. As a result, the experiences described by ECE leaders of color in the current study might not capture the experiences of ECE leaders of color across diverse racial backgrounds, program types, and policy contexts. Future studies may also investigate the experiences of ECE leaders of color across a wider range of racial and ethnic backgrounds and among those who work in home-based or other ECE contexts and may experience different leadership dynamics and work conditions.

Third, participants in the current study were recruited through voluntary participation, and all data were self-reported, which might potentially lead to social desirability bias. At the same time, most participants’ narratives in the study were consistent with CRT’s framing of marginalized people, which values their lived experiences and counter-narratives as valuable knowledge to the field. In the future, research may apply diverse methodological approaches that integrate both qualitative data and additional administrative and workforce data (e.g., ECE leaders of color’s turnover behaviors and leadership pathways, the development outcomes of children), which may provide a more comprehensive understanding of structural influence on ECE leaders of color’s experiences.

Fourth, this study was designed to focus solely on understanding the experiences of educators of color; thus, we did not collect data from White ECE leaders. Therefore, the study does not provide direct evidence on whether those findings are unique to leaders of color or reflect patterns applicable to all ECE leaders. Future research may incorporate comparative designs to provide a better understanding of the commonalities and differences in the perspectives and experiences between ECE leaders in general and leaders of color.

Finally, the study captures the experiences of ECE leaders of color at a single point in time; their experiences and well-being may be dynamic and change in response to organizational climate and policy. Building on the findings of the current study, future studies can use longitudinal research methods to examine the role of workplace culture and organizational climate in these dynamics to better understand the lived experiences of ECE leaders of color.

6.6. Implications for Practice and Policy

If ECE leaders of color leave the field due to burnout and compromised well-being, the ECE system loses its most culturally competent gatekeepers, which may be related to turnover for the entire workforce and outcomes for children of color (Doromal & Markowitz, 2023; Grissom et al., 2021). As one of the few studies focusing on the lived experiences of ECE leaders of color, the current study provides valuable insights and actionable strategies for practitioners and policymakers seeking to improve the well-being of ECE leaders of color and cultivate a more diverse and equitable ECE work environment.

First, the findings suggest that improving the well-being of ECE leaders of color requires attention to both individual-and structural-level supports. For improving individual-level coping mechanisms, training resources such as mindfulness-based practices (Jennings, 2015), more accessible self-care resources (Zhao & Jeon, 2024), and opportunities for building professional communities and peer networking (Douglass, 2019) can be provided for ECE leaders of color. A participant in this study, for example, shared the need for a mental health day. These supports can be understood in relation to existing psychological frameworks, specifically Lazarus and Folkman’s psychological stress and coping theory (Folkman & Lazarus, 1988), suggesting the importance of both emotion-focused coping (e.g., emotional awareness and peer support) and problem-focused coping (e.g., professional networks) in supporting leaders of color navigate workplace stressors.

Importantly, more sustainable well-being among the workforce requires an inclusive and supportive workplace environment. These actions may include (1) providing professional development training for all ECE staff to promote cultural humility and culturally responsive practices (Iruka et al., 2023), and (2) creating a formal racial affinity space for this group of leaders where they can engage in counter-storytelling and collective resistance against systemic stressors (Kulkarni et al., 2022). These efforts aimed at building an inclusive work environment can further improve the well-being of the ECE leaders of color.

Second, the study highlights the need for structural reform within leadership preparation and professional development ecosystems. Policymakers and higher education institutions should prioritize a more equitable career pathway that recognizes the diverse linguistic and cultural capital of educators of color (Yosso, 2005), beginning in teacher preparation programs and making pathways to educational leadership visible from the outset. While many of the ECE leaders of color in the study described the feeling of being unprepared for their positions, this should not be viewed as an individual deficit. Instead, ECE educators of color need more culturally sustaining preparation and targeted support that builds on their cultural and linguistic identities. Moreover, leadership coaching and mentoring should be provided to help their transitions into leadership roles (van Nieuwerburgh, 2012). In addition, professional development should shift from deficit-based views and pivot to asset-based, race-conscious content by highlighting counter-narratives from leaders of color. This may involve validating and emphasizing the relational and resistant capitals these leaders of color possess as critical leadership competencies. These efforts can foster a professionally robust and culturally affirmed leadership identity among these leaders of color.

Third, the findings suggest the importance of providing support for ECE leaders of color in terms of program operations, especially in licensing and staffing. Although navigating licensing systems is a universal challenge among ECE leaders (McLean et al., 2024), these challenges can sometimes be particularly difficult for ECE leaders of color when the systems prioritize surveillance over support. Policymakers should provide more technical assistance regarding licensing requirements and regulatory compliance, which may reduce administrative burden and stress for leaders navigating these systems. In addition, given that the lack of qualified staff is another major challenge, more efforts are needed to address the staffing crisis. Policymakers may consider aligning compensation reform and workforce stabilization efforts with leadership well-being goals. Increased compensation and benefits for ECE staff more broadly (McLean et al., 2024), and more equitable financial support (NASEM, 2018), may strengthen staffing stability. These strategies can potentially reduce operational strain on leaders and enhance their capacity to focus on improving instructional quality and relational leadership rather than crisis management.

Finally, we also note that although this study focuses on ECE leaders, the findings have important implications for the broader K-12 leadership literature. Many experiences described by the participants, including professional isolation, racialized expectations, emotional labor, and the need to demonstrate resilience in leadership roles, mirror patterns documented among K-12 leaders of color (Grissom et al., 2021). Supporting the well-being and retention of leaders of color in ECE may contribute to strengthening leadership diversity across the entire education continuum. In addition, if leaders of color leave ECE due to burnout and compromised well-being, the broader education systems risk losing experienced and culturally responsive leaders whose perspectives are critical for fostering equitable learning environments for young children. Thus, insights from the present study may inform leadership preparation, mentoring, and well-being initiatives not only in ECE but also in K-12 educational leadership contexts.

In conclusion, improving the well-being and work conditions of ECE leaders of color relies on more targeted well-being support, culturally sustaining organizational practices and climate, systematic reforms in leadership preparation and development, and predictable ECE policy environments.