Written by Tarah Beduze

Best practices to train and retain early childhood teachers

Early childhood education is as important now as it has ever been. Parents in the workforce need care for their children and evidence shows that approximately 76% of children are enrolled in a form of preschool or childcare prior to attending Kindergarten (Green et. al., 2012). This influx of children leads to a growing demand for early childhood teachers. However, despite the great need, there is a generally high teacher turnover rate in the field of early childhood education. This issue of turnover results in a predicament for many early childhood centers and schools offering early childhood programs, as they are often not well staffed (Bridges & Carlat, 2003).

How do we best train and retain high-quality early childhood teachers in our ECM programs?

The predicament of poorly staffed early childhood programs caused by significant teacher turnover must be addressed to offer high quality programs for the children in those programs. Addressing the state of early childhood must begin with the current teachers in these programs. The theme found in research related to early childhood staffing is that supporting the teachers in early childhood programs is essential to their success and retainment. Some supports that are highlighted in research include ongoing teacher training, encouraging the pursuit of a degree, continuing education initiatives, mentoring programs, and creation of a strong sense of community within the program (Mims & Scott-Little, 2008; Bridges & Carlat, 2003; Blank, 2010; Lipscomb et. al., 2021). Each of these supports has lasting effects for the teachers and the early childhood programs in which they are serving. If the goal of a program is to develop high quality care and education and to retain high quality teachers, it is necessary that teachers are equipped with the appropriate tools for success—both as new teachers and as veterans.

In which ways can we support the novice and veteran staff working within our WELS ECM programs?

WELS early childhood ministry programs that were identified as having low teacher turnover rates describe in a recent study that there are key processes in place to support new and existing staff which lead to increased retention rates and higher program quality. One example of this support is a robust onboarding program that includes time for orientation in which new staff will be placed in classrooms without the responsibility of direct supervision of children. This allows these new staff members to observe practices and routines established in the classrooms and to build a sense of community allowing them to comfortably learn from and ask questions of their peers. Additionally, as staff are hired and continue in their education, many WELS early childhood programs require and develop trainings that exceed the requirements for training that have been set by the state. These trainings can include many topics and may take various forms depending on the unique circumstances of an early childhood program.

Continued education is an emphasis for WELS early childhood programs with high retention rates. Support for teachers must not stop after the orientation and onboarding period. Instead, early childhood program directors who find success in maintaining low teacher turnover rates often encourage and assist teachers in the advancement of their careers in the field of early childhood education. Throughout the WELS, hands-on trainings, encouraging and supporting teachers through the WELS ministry certification program, and online training programs are utilized to support existing teachers. A valuable resource available to early childhood program leaders as they provide support for their staff is the four-tiered training offered by MLC. The training modules in this program were designed to support teachers new to the field of early childhood education through those looking to receive an Associate of Science in Early Childhood Education degree (https://mlc-wels.edu/continuing-education/four-tiers/).

Internally, these early childhood programs also set time and effort aside for mentoring programs, peer and/or director coaching opportunities, and regular opportunities for staff to work together so that they can learn from each other and grow professionally. For more information about how WELS early childhood ministries are supporting staff, please refer to the full study Best Practices of Teacher Training on Teacher Retention in Early Childhood Education (Beduze, 2024).

References:

Beduze, T. J. (2024). Best Practices of Teacher Training on Teacher Retention in Early Childhood Education (Master’s thesis). March.

Blank, J. (2010). Early childhood teacher education: Historical themes and contemporary issues. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 31, 391-405.

Bridges, M., & Carlat, J. (2003). Training and retaining early care and education staff. Bay area child-care retention incentive programs: evaluation. PACE.

Green, B. L., Malsch, A. M., Kothari, B. H., Busse, J., & Brenna, E. (2012). An intervention to increase early childhood staff capacity for promoting children’s social-emotional development in preschool settings. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(1), 123-132.

Lipscomb, S. T., Chandler, K. D., Abshire, C., Jaramillo, J., & Kothari, B. (2021). Early childhood teachers’ self-efficacy and professional support predict work engagement. Early Childhood Education Journal, 50(4), 675-685.

Mims, S. U., Sott-Little, C., Lower, J. K., Cassidy, D. J., & Hestenes, L. L. (2008). Education level and stability as it relates to early childhood classroom quality: a survey of early childhood program directors and teachers. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 23(2), 227-237.