蜜桃影视

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In September 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic, the , a network of early childhood centers that provide free early care and education for children birth through age 5 from income-eligible families, embarked on a $350 million plan to build six new locations in south central Pennsylvania over six years. 

Keeping to this ambitious timeline has depended on more than picking a location and making sure the facility meets regulatory standards. The initiative鈥檚 success depends on building a strong, sustainable workforce. It鈥檚 not just finding talented, certified early educators and getting them to show up on opening day, but creating a plan to retain them year over year. 

In light of an uncertain economy and a number of systemic factors, achieving this goal may be easier said than done. 鈥淲e recognize many organizations have experienced challenges in attracting educators. Fewer people are entering the field, which makes it even more important to invest in developing and supporting those who choose this career,鈥� said Beth Kroutch, human resources director for Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning. 

With three centers already open and three set to open by fall 2027, Kroutch stressed the importance of planning ahead and forging partnerships. One approach her team has taken, she said, 鈥渋s to reach out proactively to local colleges and universities in advance to talk about our organization, engage in a partnership and make a connection that hopefully shows benefits to both parties.鈥� In addition to developing partnerships with local higher education institutions, the Catherine Hershey Schools have an internship program for high school students that offers a pathway to employment. She also described other recruitment strategies such as social media and career fairs. 

Kroutch is right. Other early learning leaders are feeling the pain, too. 鈥淚 spend most of my waking hours contemplating this topic,鈥� said Rhian Allvin, founder of , a network of three centers 鈥� two in northern Virginia and one in Washington, D.C. It was never easy to attract talent to a profession with low wages, poor or nonexistent benefits and minimal opportunities for career advancement. And it鈥檚 a challenge to keep early educators in the field. Physical demands, long hours and emotional stress of the work all contribute to a in early childhood education.

A dramatic intensification of immigration enforcement has exacerbated these challenges. A considerable segment of the early care and education workforce are immigrants 鈥� at least 21% nationwide, according to published by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California, Berkeley. With the of protections limiting federal immigration arrests around sensitive sites, about immigration raids on schools and child care programs have escalated and many providers are faced with difficult decisions like .

Felicia Jones Taylor, co-founder of , a consultancy that provides technical assistance to child care centers, underscored the impact of immigration policies on early educators. 鈥淚mmigrants came from their countries with transferable skills. They have experience working with children, but there are barriers preventing them from participating in this workforce,鈥� she said. 

More than other workplaces, child care centers are protective communities that support kids and families, said Lauren Hogan, managing director of policy and professional advancement at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). When educators are afraid, it affects the whole community.

Amid major workforce challenges, developing creative approaches to recruiting and retaining qualified child care staff has become increasingly important, early learning leaders said. Wages came up again and again as the most powerful recruitment tool. The child care , which is predominantly female and often women of color, has long endured . Unless and until things change, compensation will remain a leading reason why it鈥檚 hard to attract new talent, and why some experienced providers for higher-paying jobs. Caitlin McLean, a senior research specialist at CSCCE, summarized the problem: 鈥淵ou’ve invested that money in training people to work with kids and who probably would like to work with kids, but they end up leaving.鈥� While the profession is rewarding, she noted, it is also demanding, and the supports that might keep them on the job aren鈥檛 always readily available.

of child care providers are considering leaving the workforce. that increasing pay reduces turnover and some programs have raised wages. The , a child care program that arose in Austin, Texas, in 2018, with a drop-in care model to offer flexibility for families, pays its educators $28 per hour, according to the center鈥檚 founder Choquette Hamilton. That鈥檚 nearly twice , according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To make this level of compensation possible, Hamilton said the center uses a braided funding model including support from the city of Austin鈥檚 . 

The choice to prioritize compensation was intentional. 鈥淭hat rate was a decision from the beginning,鈥� said Hamilton. 鈥淭he educators do feel respected and valued. All of our recruitment has come from word of mouth, so they definitely tell their friends, but sadly, it still isn’t enough, because the work is not full-time at that rate.鈥� She explained that many of their educators work part time and are gig workers who piece together their livelihoods working multiple jobs. 

While compensation is key, leaders said a thoughtful recruitment and retention strategy goes beyond the paycheck. 鈥淭here are lots of ways that directors demonstrate, in partnership with the families, just how much they really appreciate the work that the early childhood educators are doing,鈥� explained NAEYC鈥檚 Hogan. She cited Children鈥檚 Village, a nonprofit preschool in Philadelphia, as an example of a program illustrating that appreciation by for employees including health care, vacation, sick leave and a retirement plan. 鈥淢ost of our educators do not have access to that,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat demonstrates caring for them in a real way, thinking about their long-term well-being.鈥� Hogan also pointed to the for child care workers to access child care for their own children, and said, 鈥淚t has definitely had an impact on recruitment and retention, helping staff come in and stay and feel supported.鈥� 

In addition to improving working conditions and pulling levers that make the field more hospitable, building a robust pipeline of candidates is also crucial. Keeping a full staff in place often means recruiting more people than you think you might need, but even in the rare instances when a child care program is able to offer and sustain higher pay and good benefits for employees, there are other factors that make it hard to hire and keep employees. Candidates are juggling personal and professional stressors that often shape their decisions. 

Allvin described frequent instances in which an educator will get through the screening part of the hiring process at Brynmor, but fail to show up for the interview. 鈥淲e don’t ever hear from them again,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t happens all the time.鈥� 

One point all leaders were sure to make is that community is key to retention, but building it takes time. The first year is critical, leaders said. Once staff see the investment, culture and support, they’re more likely to stay long term.

鈥淵ou lose people mostly within the first six months,鈥� said Allvin. Keeping the turnover rate under 20% per year has been a steady challenge. She expressed relief that after two years at her flagship site in Lorton, Virginia, the center finally has no openings to fill.

Kroutch said that because there are a number of Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning, her team has been able to show potential staff members for new locations what the culture is like by inviting them to open house events at existing sites. Meeting candidates in person is important, Kroutch said. It鈥檚 a first step in building community. 

In the face of staffing challenges, many child care professionals who are responsible for hiring and maintaining staff, have adopted an all-of-the-above approach, and have maintained optimism in spite of the odds. 鈥淛ust because the system is broken,鈥� Hogan mused, 鈥渄oes not mean that it is beyond fixing.鈥� 

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