The field of early childhood special education faces a significant teacher shortage that is in need of solutions (Bruder, 2010; Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017). An unaddressed area of examination in resilience research is the role that professional relationships play in enhancing teacher resilience, career longevity, and job satisfaction. This dissertation details a phenomenological qualitative study that explores relational resilience in early childhood special education practitioners. Qualitative methods included a demographics and resilience questionnaire and in-depth interviews. These methods offered a better understanding of the phenomenon of relational resilience in early childhood special education practitioners. Implications for research, theory, and practice are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]