’Happy when they arrive, happy when they go home’ – focusing on promoting children’s mental health creates a sense of trust at preschools

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a course for preschool teachers on mental health promotion among preschool children.

The results show that the course has provided the preschool teachers with a more in-depth understanding of mental health and has increased their awareness of factors promoting children's mental health in preschool. The teachers express that the course has strengthened their relationship with children as well as parents. The preschool teachers state that they have tried to create a more positive preschool environment to which the children feel more connected. This has resulted in fewer conflicts between the children. According to the preschool teachers, the course has contributed to happier children, and children who show a sense of security and curiosity.

The study is based on a course on mental health developed for the study. The course ran over one year, and a total of 16 preschool teachers attended the course. The course included illustrations of different ways of understanding mental health as well as factors promoting mental health. In addition, the course included discussions of how preschool teachers can plan everyday activities for the children focussing on promoting the children's mental health. The course consisted of seven sessions, and between the sessions, the teachers were asked to implement various content from the meetings in their own preschool practice and to document the implementation.

The empirical material was based on group interviews with preschool teachers, one of which was held before the start of the course and two after the course. Documentation material in the form of descriptions of the activities implemented by the teachers in between sessions was also gathered. The overall data material was analysed focussing on the correlation between the preschool teachers' knowledge of and work with mental health and possible impacts on the children's mental health.

Haraldsson, K., Isaksson, P., & Eriksson, M. (2016). ’Happy when they arrive, happy when they go home’ – focusing on promoting children’s mental health creates a sense of trust at preschools. Early Years, 1-14. DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2016.1191442