Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations between affective commitment, social support, and life satisfaction among child care teachers. Methods: One hundred fifty-four child care teachers in the metropolitan area of Seoul completed a questionnaire on affective commitment, social support, and life satisfaction. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, hierarchical multiple regression analyses using the bootstrapping method were conducted. Results: The results showed that affective commitment predicted increased life satisfaction. The results also revealed significant moderation effects of social support on the relationship between affective commitment and life satisfaction. Further analyses revealed significant moderation effects of support from directors and colleagues on the relationship. Conclusion/Implications: The findings highlight the importance of affective commitment in enhancing life satisfaction among child care teachers. The positive association is more pronounced among child care teachers who perceive social support, highlighting the supportive roles of directors and colleagues in enhancing life satisfaction among child care teachers.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to reduce job stress among child care teachers and enhance the quality of child care by examining the mediating effect of job stress in the relationship between positive psychological capital and the organizational commitment of child care teachers. Methods: The subjects of this study were 560 childcare teachers in Gyeonggi-do, and 465 questionnaires were ultimately analyzed. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and structural equation model were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0. Results: As a result of the study, first, positive psychological capital of childcare teachers showed a positive correlation with organizational commitment. Additionally, both positive psychological capital and organizational commitment showed a negative correlation with job stress. Second, the direct effect of childcare teachers' positive psychological capital affecting organizational commitment was significant, and the direct effect of job stress affecting organizational commitment was also significant. It was found that positive psychological capital of childcare teachers significantly influenced organizational commitment through job stress. Conclusion/Implications: Therefore, providing an educational program to help childcare teachers enhance their positive psychological capital and foster commitment to the organization can significantly contribute to the improvement of childcare quality.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to verify whether teachers' interpersonal competence serves as a mediator between perceived social support in the workplace, as perceived by childcare teachers, and their level of job satisfaction. Methods: The participants of this study comprised 422 childcare teachers employed in childcare centers across Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province. Correlation analysis was performed using the collected data to examine the relationships between variables. Additionally, regression analysis was carried out to validate the mediating role of interpersonal relationship competence in the association between workplace social support and job satisfaction. Results: The study's findings revealed a positive correlation between interpersonal competence and job satisfaction. The study successfully confirmed the mediating role of interpersonal competence among childcare teachers in the connection between workplace social support and job satisfaction. Conclusion/Implications: The results suggest that enhancing the job satisfaction of childcare teachers requires identifying diverse social support systems within childcare centers that influence them. It is imperative to formulate strategies that highly value social support and concurrently enhance interpersonal skills.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the importance and performance of the evaluation indicators of the childcare center evaluation system among childcare center staff and to find ways to improve the evaluation indicators of the childcare center evaluation system. Methods: A survey was conducted among 296 directors and teachers of childcare centers located in Busan and Gyeongnam. The collected data were analyzed using a paired sample t-test and an IPA analysis with SPSS 23.0 and Excel 2010. Results: There was a difference between the perceived importance and performance of childcare staff for the overall evaluation indicators, and significant differences were found in all areas and nine evaluation indicators except for "childcare environment and operation management". According to the IPA analysis, Health and Safety fell into quadrant 1, Staff into quadrant 2, and Child Care Process, Interaction, Child Care Environment, and Operations into quadrant 3. This distribution resulted in 6 indicators in quadrant 1, 4 in quadrant 2, 7 in quadrant 3, and 1 in quadrant 4. Conclusion/Implications: This study provides essential data for exploring ways to enhance the evaluation indicators of the childcare center evaluation system, with the goal of improving the quality of childcare services. Additionally, it offers policy implications.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a sociability program for young children (Buddy TOC), consisting of cooperative activities, and to investigate its effects on children's sociability, such as empathy, self-regulation, and interpersonal skills. Methods: The contents of the program were extracted through a literature review and analysis of previous research. The goodness-of-fit of the drafted program was verified by specialists in early childhood education and through a preliminary study. The effects of 'Buddy TOC' were tested based on the selected 5 sessions with regard to children's empathy, self-regulation, and interpersonal skills. Overall, 70 participants (35 in the experimental group and 35 in the comparison group) were 4-year-olds, and 67 participants (33 in the experimental group and 34 in the comparison group) were 5-year-olds. The data were analyzed by conducting ANCOVA based on age. Results: Empathy, self-regulation and interpersonal skill of the 4- and 5-year-old children in the experimental group were higher than those of the comparison group, and there were slight differences according to the subareas. Conclusion/Implications: The field applicability and importance of 'Buddy TOC' as a sociability program, utilizing cooperative activities for the promotion of young children's social skills, were discussed.