Preschool teachers are hard to find because it is a mentally and physically demanding job. It’s usually hard to keep teachers because there are limited promotion opportunities from the point which they begin and it’s a generally low paying job.

To best recruit daycare teachers and keep them:

1. Write a great job description
2. Post on multiple job boards
3. Network with others who own daycare’s and/or preschools
4. Pay your teachers above the industry standard
5. Establish a relationship with early childhood education programs

To best recruit daycare teachers, get started with the basics, write a great job description and you will attract quality candidates. Post your listing on multiple job boards to get a wide array of candidates. Also, network with others daycare and preschools owners who can send potential candidates your way. Pay your teachers above the standard and link yourself with early childhood education programs that are local, as another recruitment method.

Getting teachers to stay on at your daycare is linked to the recruitment process, however there are further considerations to be discussed. Provide your teachers with benefits: health insurance, maternity leave, holiday leave ext…, because if they don’t have healthcare, they will for sure be looking for other employment, and if they are not, they will be strained and make less capable teachers. Properly train your staff and make sure to communicate with your staff. Give them constructive criticism when needed and be sure to top it off with a lot of positive feedback. Take staff suggestions seriously and pay for staff to further their education, help them get their CDA, it will increase loyalty.

To Recruit Good Teachers:

1. Write a great description for the job posting. The quality of candidates will improve when the quality of your listing goes up. Consider hiring out a writer if you are not great at writing yourself and need help refining your posting.
2. Post on multiple job boards. There are so many job sites out there: Indeed, ziprecruiter, monster.com, also you can post on Craigslist’s job listings. But keep in mind some of the websites do charge for their job listings.
3. Network with others who own daycare’s and/or preschools. They can send you candidates which don’t quite fit their needs but may be perfect for you. Also, if you do the same for them you will continue building that relationship. Perhaps in the future you will also be sharing clients.
4. Pay your teachers above the industry standard If you don’t pay well you won’t attract experienced candidates, those who are more experienced will go with daycare’s that pay more. Also, paying your employees just above the standard is just essential in retention of teachers.
5. Establish ties with early childhood college programs. These links are a great way to recruit newly trained professionals. What a better way to find qualified individuals than to go to the source? This takes the guess work out for the students and helps you out as well.

Retaining Great Teachers:

1. Provide your teachers with benefits. Some such benefits include health insurance, maternity leave, paid time off, student loan repayment, and helping your staff pay for continuing their education. The more benefits you offer your staff the more likely you are to keep your staff and retain quality candidates. Also, get creative here, come up with benefits that works best in your location and with your staff’s needs. Some daycare centers allow discounted rates for the children of staff members to be cared for.
2. Properly train your staff. Training your staff well ensures they are able to keep up with the demand you expect from them. This will make unwanted termination of staff less common and will keep staff moral high. Because the staff will be able to perform the way you want them to they will feel fulfilled because you are happy with their work.
3. Communicate with staff; preschool directors should provide positive feedback to teachers along with constructive criticism. Also, give performance reviews which include raises for good performance. This will keep staff happy by making them feel that they are appreciated.
4. Seriously consider and implement staff suggestion, they will feel valued this way. You may also find new and better ways of doing things. Because these people are dealing with the policies, and situations of running the daycare day-to-day. They may have a better and more efficient way of doing things. Also consider giving out a bonus when a good idea is implemented and saves you money, adding to the appreciation the teachers feel.
5. Pay for staff to get their CDA, which will increase loyalty. The Child Development Associate’s is the minimum standard for childcare. Also, consider pushing your staff to further that education. Help pay for them get an Early Childhood Bachelor’s degree as well. This way you know your staff are well educated, and also their loyalty to you will grow.

Five tips for finding good daycare employees!

Also, just understand that some do not consider being a preschool teacher a career, they think of it as a job. You just can’t retain all the teachers you will like. Because it just isn’t their dream job.

Keeping teachers is tricky, however, if you follow some of the directions above you will find retaining teachers isn’t a problem. Pay them above the industry standard, this will also attract qualified and experienced candidates. Seriously consider and implement staff suggestions, and communicate with your staff. If they feel comfortable with you and like you they are more likely to stick around.

Paying your staff for their education will go a long way with retention too. Getting high quality teachers is essential as well. To get started on the right foot by having a great job listing description and get that listing out on multiple job boards. You want to get the word out there, and networking with other daycare’s and preschools is a great way to get candidates too. If you pay them above the standard you will not only attract experienced and good teachers, they will instead want to stay too.

Related Questions:

What should I keep in mind when opening a daycare?

You need to be licensed in your state to open a daycare, and you also need to know about nutrition requirements for the children’s diet (this is also a state determination). There is also a predetermined requirement for the staff to children ratio of a daycare center.

What are some things to keep in mind when hiring a daycare teacher?

 

When interviewing potential teachers’ organization is key in helping each child excel in their own unique individual way. They also need to be able to adapt to the many different learning types which they will be faced with. Experience with children and with teaching them is another very important trait to look for in a potential candidate.

Should you take in your friends and family’s kids?

No, although it may seem like a good idea, friends and family may think you will give them special treatment. As a result, they may pick and choose which of your company policies applies to them. In order to keep your daycare as professional as possible avoid this practice.

 

Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.

To learn more on how to start your own daycare checkout my startup course and documents here.

 

 

Sources:

https://www.paperpinecone.com/blog/6-tips-find-great-preschool-teachers-and-6-tips-retain-them

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/things-consider-starting-day-care-business-32.html

https://work.chron.com/short-longterm-goals-prek-teachers-24424.html