—Neha Sharma (Mentor: Noereem Z. Mena)
This study examines how early care and education (ECE) teachers and directors describe infant feeding practices within the context of workplace wellness and organizational constraints. While evidence-based guidelines emphasize responsive and individualized feeding, implementation in daily practice is shaped by staffing, workload and institutional support. Semi-structured focus groups with infant teachers (n = 5) and directors (n = 4) in New Hampshire were conducted alongside analysis of Go NAPSACC Breastfeeding and Infant Feeding (BFIF) Self-Assessment data (N = 34). Quantitative findings indicated strong reported alignment with responsive feeding and breastfeeding support practices. However, qualitative results revealed that these practices are enacted within environments characterized by staffing shortages, regulatory demands set at the state level and beyond, and high emotional labor. Participants described balancing child-centered care with logistical constraints, while also highlighting the role of educator wellness in sustaining caregiving quality. Supportive leadership and access to resources emerged as key facilitators, while limited compensation, staffing challenges, and accessible wellness support were ongoing challenges. Strengthening educator wellness may be critical to supporting high-quality infant feeding practices in ECE settings.
