Mentor and evaluator perspectives on North Carolina’s early educator support program: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT The mentoring and evaluating process enhances quality of teachers’ serving in early childhood programs. The Early Educator Support (EES) Program is a new model of mentoring and coaching that aims to lend support to PreK teachers’ working in nonpublic school settings. In this qualitative study, we examined the lived experiences of 12 mentors and evaluators serving in the EES program using in-depth individual interviews. It examined closely why mentors and evaluators want to work within the EES program, specifically looking at motivators and facilitators that engage them in their current role. Certain common themes emerged from the qualitative data analysis; evolving as a professional, prior experiences that motivated and facilitated their desire to become mentor/evaluators and utility of individualized mentoring strategies for teachers. In conclusion, strengths and limitations of the study are discussed as well as implications for the field of early childhood care and education.