How do parents play a role in keeping great teachers?
It’s no secret that turnover is high in early childhood education. Average teacher turnover in private daycare is around 30%. Dissatisfied teachers report:
- Low pay
- High stress
- Poor management
- No benefits
- Long hours
How did we get here? It’s certainly not what parents want! We know that parents value their children’s teachers. After all, as a parent you are trusting the teacher with your child’s physical and emotional safety. Your child’s teacher is your partner.
The Real Reason for High Teacher Turnover in Childcare
We also know that parents pay a premium for childcare. Unfortunately, service in early childhood education is undervalued by our society. Federal and State subsidies to bridge the gap between what parents can afford to pay and what teachers need to earn are few and far between. That leaves childcare businesses making decisions on incredibly thin margins, struggling to afford operating costs and teacher salaries. This leads to a vicious cycle, where cost-cutting leads to underpaid and undersupported teachers. Those teachers burn out and leave the Early Childhood Education field. It’s then harder for childcare centers to stay open, leading directors to cut tuition rates. There’s a reason why childcare centers in poor and underserved communities struggle with the highest rates of teacher turnover.
How Teacher Burnout Affects Young Children
Unfortunately, we know that high teacher turnover negatively affects children’s development. Young children grow best when they have:
- Consistent, trusting relationships with their caregivers.
- Predictable routines and structure to their day.
High teacher turnover actively works against the needs of young children. It creates stress and unpredictability that makes children’s thoughts and feelings difficult to regulate. It interrupts the continuity of curriculum implementation, resulting in gaps in children’s academic preparedness. 66% of working mothers in Idaho have children under the age of six, so these impacts have far-reaching consequences in our state.
How Lakewood Montessori in Boise, Idaho Supports and Retains Teachers
To break this cycle, we’ve adopted an approach at Lakewood Montessori in Boise that prioritizes teacher support for every tuition dollar spent. We invest in our teachers so they can be present with your child. 76% of the tuition our parents pay goes directly to teacher salaries and benefits.
Lakewood teachers get…
Competitive pay: Our starting teacher salary is above the median pay rate for early childhood teachers.
Health, vision, and dental insurance: Lakewood Montessori offers two comprehensive health care plans, plus vision and dental benefits. The majority of teachers’ health insurance premiums are covered by the school.
Paid vacation and sick days: Every holiday we are closed is a paid holiday for our staff, ensuring 30 paid vacation days for every staff member. Teachers also receive paid time off hours for illness or personal time.
Parental leave: Our teachers are Lakewood parents too! We offer 12 weeks paid parental leave, with flexible schedules for new parents.
Professional development: We close for four days a year to provide professional development and classroom prep. Our teachers receive 20 hours of training per year MINIMUM, including CPR and First Aid training. We host this training during working hours so our teachers don’t have to fit training into nights and weekends.
They also benefit from…
Experienced leaders: Our school owners and administrators are all Montessori trained! They’ve all spent years working in early childhood settings, and genuinely care about the teachers and students. There’s no business decision made without the children, teachers, and families in mind.
Cooperative and appreciative families: Our families are amazing! From our volunteers, to our PTO, to our teacher appreciation committees, families show their care and support for the teachers throughout the year.
Supportive coworkers: We’ve built a workplace family where we practice care for each other. We offer mentorship and guidance for new teachers and compassionate service teams for struggling teachers.
Our goal is that our teachers love working at Lakewood as much as your child loves playing at Lakewood. But parents are the real reason why teachers keep coming back, year after year.
The Secret: How Parents Reduce Teacher Turnover
This is only possible because of the real sacrifices that our families are willing to make, and the part that often gets overlooked.. Parents are a critical part of the solution.
At Lakewood Montessori in Boise, Idaho, maintaining a strong, supported teaching team is only possible because of the partnership that we have with our families.
We are committed to giving the best to our Lakewood Montessori parents, and in turn, they commit to:
- Competitive tuition rates
- A childcare schedule without extended hours
- Coordinating care for their child during school closures and in-service days
We know that those are not easy things for working parents to do! But by agreeing to those sacrifices, you make your child’s school a great place for their teacher to work. As a parent, YOUR choices make a difference in your child’s learning environment.
By choosing a real partnership with your child’s school, YOU make the difference in the Early Childhood Education field.
See the Difference Our Parents Make for Our Teachers!
About a third of our staff have been at Lakewood for ten years or more! Many of our lead teachers started as assistants at lakewood, and built their careers as they went. Because of our supportive parent community, we’ve been able to help our teachers build great careers! Learn more about our amazing faculty… Visit our faculty page!
And if you’re looking for a school that prioritizes teacher retention and long-term relationships, we’d love to connect with you. Schedule a tour today!
