Teacher retention plays a major role in equity and
excellence The NAEYC podcast on high teacher turnover provided some interesting
information on the effects of teacher turnover on teachers and children; in
turn affecting the quality of programming provided to families. Positive relationships are at the heart of early
childhood programming and when teachers leave the program, the teaching team can
feel a sense of uncertainty (NAEYC, 2010).
This sense of uncertainty can lead to a team of teachers who only go
through the motions of teaching, creating an atmosphere of teachers who are not
intentional in their teaching or lose the motivation to challenge themselves or
others.
When teachers leave, children experience a lost. When we think, again, how relationships are
at the heart of early childhood education, it becomes clear that just as it’s
hard for us as adults to have a love one no longer be a part of our life, the
same is true for children and the loss of their teacher. When programs experience consistent turnover,
the equity and excellence of programming is greatly compromised. In fact, children that experience the loss of
a teacher can experience a lapse in learning (NAEYC, 2010).
Teacher turnover in early childhood education is a critical
issue across the country (NAEYC, 2010).
This trend contributes to the inequity of programming. NAEYC (2010) provides some ways to try to
decrease turnover:
o
Keep staff interested in things they love about
early childhood education
o
Create a team that feels like a family
o
Work on communication within the team
o
Have children books about emotional intelligence
o
Introduce new people to children and discuss the
fact that losing people is a part of life.
References
National
Association for the Education of Young Children (Producer). (2010, March 1). Curtailing high turnover among early
childhood educators. NAEYC radio podcast.
