Childcare Educators in This New COVID World | Careforkids.com.au

Retaining passionate and talented early educators has long been a challenge in the Australian childcare sector. But now more than ever, centres are struggling to hang onto childcare staff in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As COVID ran rampant around the world, childcare centres throughout Australia bounced between open, shut, restricted and then ‘free’. Unsurprisingly, the impact on childcare staff retention was catastrophic. 

Two and a half years later, as we navigate a new COVIDnormal comprising of heightened restrictions, additional sanitation requirements, RAT testing, increased reporting and unplanned absences, early educators are leaving the industry in droves. 

In a 2021 survey of almost 4,000 Australian educators, 73% of childcare staff said they planned to leave their job within three years. The reasons included low pay, being overworked, and feeling undervalued. 

The following highlights what is undoubtedly a critical situation:

• 70% of early educators surveyed said they ‘always’ or ‘often’ worry about their financial situation.

• 81% of centre directors say they have had difficulties in attracting and recruiting new childcare staff.

• 92% of childcare educators told us ‘under-the-roof’ ratios compromise the safety and wellbeing of children.

• 65% of early educators report that their services are already understaffed, and providers are reporting having to cap new enrolments because they can’t find enough staff.

• 82% of current childcare educators say that in the past month they ‘always’ or ‘often’ felt rushed when performing key caring and/or educational tasks.

• Over 75% of childcare staff strongly agree that turnover negatively impacts how children learn and develop as well as their emotional wellbeing more broadly.

• Almost half of early educators surveyed would not recommend ECEC as a career. 

“The message from early educators across the country is clear: they are at breaking point,” UWU’s Early Education Director Helen Gibbons says. “There is no early childhood sector without early educators, and they simply can’t afford to stay and hold it together anymore.”

The question then begs, how do we not just retain quality childcare educators but also reward and recognise the invaluable work that they do?! It’s an issue which needs to be put at the top of the political agenda. 

It’s helpful to look at the pre-existing early education issues which have been deeply exacerbated by COVID and political decisions over the last two to three years. Marg Rogers, Senior Lecturer, Early Childhood Education, University of New England highlights the following in a recent article. 

1. Staff shortages

Staff shortages are rife across every industry post-COVID but few more so than within the childcare industry. Currently, many childcare services are closed while others are operating at reduced capacity because staff are either sick with COVID or close contacts that need to isolate. This has a dire impact on room capacities and child to carer ratios and in turn, contributes to early education staff burnout and exhaustion. 

The agency responsible for early childhood education and care, the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), released its National Workforce Strategy in 2021. It revealed 25% of educators have been at their service for less than a year. This high turnover harms relationships with children who need continuity.

2. Below acceptable wages

The national average salary for a childcare worker is A$29.63 per hour, but many earn as little as A$23.50. This positions some of the most critical workers in our country as the 13th lowest paid in the nation. Educators with vocational certificates are the lowest paid, and earn less for doing skilled work with children than a trainee working in a call centre.

Early childhood services are paid for by a variety of different sources, which is a key barrier to getting educators’ pay and conditions right. Governments pay around half the total cost of early childhood services, supported by State Government contributions to preschool, and families pay the remainder. It’s up to education centre employers to decide how much to pay staff, within various industrial agreements. To attract (and retain!) qualified childcare educators, they need to receive a fair wage.

3. Segmented industry ownership and control 

The segmented ownership across the early education and childcare industry is and always has been an issue that has plagued the sector. Australia has one of the highest levels of privatisation in early childhood education in the world. This makes it harder for governments to control casualisation and ensure employers are paying their staff a fair and reasonable wage. 

It's worth remembering though, the Government sets the award wages so Government funding to early childhood services needs to be high enough to support fair wages. Additionally, it needs to incorporate an allowance for workplace conditions and development opportunities. Reward and recognition for employees across the industry is not mandated and needs to be addressed.

4. Burnout and low morale

Childcare Educators are not just regularly underpaid; they are very often overworked too. A recent study showed being overworked is the second reason educators want to leave the ECEC industry. 

Rogers says, “During the pandemic, educators reported an increased burden with extra time needed for cleaning, health requirements, communicating with parents, rearranging work plans and spaces, caring for staff, and constant hypervigilance.” 

Burnout is the third reason early educators want to leave – the demand on and pressure on carers is simply too intense to handle at times. Rogers says, “we found 70% of educators felt overtired and 60% felt overwhelmed three or more times in the last week.”

While solving the crisis requires key changes to policy and practice, those in the industry can make some immediate changes to help the situation and reduce the turnover of childcare educators. Consider the below:

1. Prioritise childcare staff wellbeing

Look at how staff can be rewarded and incentivised for the hard work that they do. Consider what your workplace offers to staff that’s above and beyond the standard. 

2. Provide Professional Development

Development opportunities are fundamental as part of an overarching employee recognition program. Investing in professional growth for your staff shows them you value them and will support their career ambitions.

3. Monitor staff for obvious signs of burnout

Stay alert for any signals that your childcare staff are feeling burnt out. The additional load of cleaning, sanitising, and documenting thanks to COVID is very real and bears a huge burden on educators who already working in a hectic and demanding environment.

Some key information within this article is based on a recent piece written by Marg Rogers for the Conversation.