Nurturing careers: strategies for staff retention in early education and care
Staff retention in early education and care is a national problem causing concern to managers nad leader across the UK and beyond, where international studies have reported staff turnover rates of 30-40%.
With 57% of nursery staff and 38% of childminders in England reporting their considerations to leave the sector within the next year, high staff turnover and low staff morale are contemporary issues leading to nursery closures and funding concerns in many areas. The study by the Early Education and Childcare Coalition also found that 35% of managers said they would need to take action on limiting the number of places they were able to offer unless there was more government support for the recruitment of and retaining of staff for these aims of growth. Staff recruitment and the retention of a high-quality, professional workforce is a challenge faced by most leadership teams across the sector. It’s a problem entrenched in public spending and policy formation.
This article aims to highlight some of the steps that can be taken on a local level in your setting to support staff retention and growth by making smaller changes.So, what are the problems?
Staff retention has a wide impact not only on the staff working directly in the sector, but also on the community of children and families relying on the high-quality services provided.
Consistency in relationships for children
Providing secure attachments within early education and care is directly shown to impact children’s learning and development in their early years. With a high staff turnover, settings may need to rely on temporary staff more, or juggle staff changes based on greatest need, such as ratios.
This can have a direct impact on learning opportunities the children may experience, where staff are not as knowledgeable on children’s individual needs and building a strong relationship with the family may be challenged by inconsistent conversations.
Safeguarding
We know that communication is key when it comes to ensuring effective safeguarding measures for children in our care. But, when we struggle to retain staff, keeping notes and recognising causes for concern can be more challenging. Staff who are unfamiliar with families might not spot changes in behaviours in the same way, whilst inadequate inductions and lacking information-sharing processes can also let children down when team changes occur.
Health and wellbeing for the remaining workforce
When staffing becomes tricky, it falls to the remaining staff to ensure safe and quality practices remain in place for the children in our care and their families. Excessive overtime is a problem contributing to high staff turnover but, paradoxically, is also caused by the staff turnover.
Induction vs development
When introducing new staff to a team, it’s important to ensure a thorough and comprehensive induction process is completed for staff to feel confident and knowledgeable of the children in their care. From allergies to preferences, learning needs and routines, all staff must have a strong understanding of the individual needs for all children in order to implement safe and effective education and care that is inclusive for all.
However, when there is a priority on ensuring that all staff have this basic level of introductory knowledge, it can be tricky to find the time to ensure staff, both existing and new, have opportunities to further develop their knowledge and bring new ideas to their practice.
Steps we can take in practice
Wider benefits
One significant reason for high staff turnover in early education and care is the low pay attributed to the huge responsibilities that come with working directly with children. In the current financial climate for settings, it can be tricky to offer the salaries that truly reflect the importance of the work professionals across the sector do. A supportive workplace that offers a range of other benefits can help to mitigate this.
Workplace benefits are becoming more important to employees when considering their employment. Benefits such as pensions, health insurance, and childcare discounts for staff make positions more attractive not only for staff recruitment but for retention too. The Institute offer includes a comprehensive GP service, digital gym, and a range of lifestyle discounts available to every member – a great example of how you could otherwise support your team.
Professional development opportunities
Providing access to continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities helps staff feel valued and supports their career progression. Whether a membership offer like that of the Institute or providing paid time for training opportunities, giving staff the chance to express their interests and making a concerted effort to show support for this progression is a straight-forward way to motivate staff and ensure the advancement of their career without necessarily having to move away from the organisation.
Work-life balance
Offering flexible working arrangements, such as part-time hours or greater choice over rotas can help staff manage their personal and professional lives in a healthier way. Staff who have additional responsibilities may rely on this factor within a workplace to ensure they can balance their commitments whilst also retaining a sense of loyalty and compassion across the wider team.
Recognition and trust
Working in early education and care can be a highly rewarding but exhausting job! Regularly acknowledging staff achievements and contributions goes a long way to highlighting the value that each individual brings and helps to sustain confidence in abilities, whilst motivating staff to continue to thrive by knowing what they do makes a difference.
Micro-management can be a damaging workplace trait that contributes to staff feeling demoralised in their role. Empower staff by giving them autonomy in their roles, allowing them to take ownership of their work and make decisions.
Positive workplace culture
Cultivate a workplace where all staff feel respected, valued, and supported. This can be addressed in a multitude of ways, such as a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour in the workplace or implementing schemes that create ongoing opportunities for everyone to celebrate the successes of their own work and, when it comes to making decisions across the setting, ensuring everyone has a voice – and is listened to.
Make it clear to everyone that support is there when needed. Train leaders and managers in effective communication, conflict resolution and team management to create and sustain a positive working environment that is proactive in creating a friendly culture, rather than reactive to issues when they arise.
Key takeaways
It goes without saying that the issues of staff recruitment and retention within early education and care are deep-rooted in wider issues of policy. But there are small changes we can make on the ground to work with our teams effectively and ensure they are heard within their workplace.
