Introduction
Addressing wellness and wellbeing is extremely important to guarantee a bright future for a growing generation. While these terms encompass a wide range of different aspects, they form a defined picture of the factors that affect the child during forming years. To sufficiently discuss this topic, it is essential to address the definition of wellness and wellbeing, why they are necessary for children, and why educators should measure them in practice.
Main Body
Wellness and wellbeing are integral terms that define the goals of the National Quality Standard (NQS) and Early Years Learning Framework (ELYF) and represent a positive state of existence. Wellness includes physical, social, spiritual, and emotional health supported by factors surrounding a discussed person (Clendon & McMurray, 2014). This is connected to the term wellbeing, which describes a positive state of the measured feature. Both are affected by internal and external determinants, including financial, cultural, and genetic background, habits, lifestyles, behaviors, and living conditions (Powers et al., 2016).
Henderson-Wilson (2012) proposed a social model of health for considering the dynamic relationships between social structures and perceptions of health, illness, and wellbeing. As suggested by Sims (2020), adverse environmental conditions and social disadvantage form specific determinants of health that lower outcomes and make it harder to navigate the struggles of daily life. Addressing the social determinants of health, ranging from access to healthy and nutritious foods to social support services, can alleviate the burdens of poor health and increase opportunities for improved outcomes (Rumbold & Dickson-Swift, 2012). All these factors are detrimental to personal health in different ways, and individual effects should be addressed to maximize wellbeing, which is a primary goal of NQS and ELYF in the early childhood context.
The Concept of Wellness
The concepts of wellness and wellbeing are essential for ensuring a healthy upbringing for a child. NQS addresses this in several sections, including “Health and Safety,” “Physical Environment,” and “Relationships with children” (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, 2017). These topics affect the quality of psychological, physical, and spiritual growth while the standards regulate the circumstances that guarantee an improved state of being. ELYF has a similar goal and defines the principles parents can use to ensure their child receives the most appropriate care (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022). This will also increase the youth’s chances of becoming well-functioning, healthy adults. ELYF states the importance of play as a development factor in social and intellectual adaptation, significantly affecting a child’s future. Therefore, both documents describe how wellness and wellbeing are crucial in early childhood.
Understanding Wellness
Understanding wellness and wellbeing is also essential for teachers and other educators. The NQS addresses this in the “Staffing arrangements,” “Relationship with children,” and “Collaborative partnerships with families and communities” subsections (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, 2017). They state the possible circumstances where an educator may affect the child’s wellbeing positively and negatively by teachers’ examples of habits and choices. Moreover, the standards list the rights of all participants with an accent on the staff’s right to healthcare. ELYF also stresses the importance of wellness and wellbeing for educators by defining the role of the teacher in a child’s development and socialization processes (Australian Government Department of Education, 2022). This includes the right to good health, which is essential in providing good care for children. Therefore, wellness and wellbeing are crucial for educators as well.
Conclusion
In conclusion, wellbeing and wellness are central to the upbringing of a healthy generation. These concepts should be taught to professional educators and parents who can transfer the understanding to children. To do so, NQS and ELYF may be referenced as reliable sources of good practices. Both documents address the cultural factors that may be adjusted to a specific family, guaranteeing inclusivity and equality in practical use. Utilizing them in education and home environments will increase the wellness level of a child, which will present them with greater chances to grow into a healthy and capable adult.
References
Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority. (2017). Guide to the national quality standard. Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority.
Australian Government Department of Education (2022). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia (V2.0). Australian Government Department of Education for the Ministerial Council.
Clendon, J. & McMurray, A. (2014). Community health and wellness – E-book: Primary health care in practice (5th ed.). Churchill Livingstone.
Henderson-Wilson, C. (2012). Health as a social construct. In P. Liamputtong., R. Fanany & G. Verringer (Eds.), Health, illness, and well-being: Perspectives and social determinants (pp. 202–212). Oxford University Press.
Powers, D., Burgess, S., & Robbins, G. (2016). A wellness way of life, loose leaf edition (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional.
Rumbold, B., & Dickson-Swift, V. (2012). Social determinants of health: Historical developments and global implications. In P. Liamputtong., R. Fanany & G. Verringer (Eds.), Health, illness, and well-being: Perspectives and social determinants (pp. 177–196). Oxford University Press.
Sims, M. (2020). Social determinants of health and wellbeing. In Garvis, S., & Pendergast, D. (Eds.). Health and wellbeing in childhood (3rd ed., pp. 38- 51). Cambridge University Press.