Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/employee-retention-its-all-about-empowering-staff/5027134/
As the new owner of an already existing center, the first challenge I faced was the need to complete extensive renovations to a center that had already been in operation. When the director and I opened the doors in March of 2016 we started with seven employees; now we have 18 full-time staff. We encountered numerous challenges due to being in a rural area, having a small hiring pool, and many times having to travel more than 45 minutes to attend trainings on a variety of topics to meet teacher interests and state minimum standards. Thus, our ability to retain employees has always been an essential component of our success. Practices that we have found helpful in recruiting and retaining staff can be split into the following categories: program-wide initiatives, teacher-based incentives, additions to teacher wages, valuing staff, and advocating within the field.
First, program-wide initiatives can be implemented to supplement the parent fees that fund the program and pay teachers and staff. For example, in Texas there are several state-funded initiatives that programs can choose to be part of. Two programs that assist parents are Child Care Services and Child Care Management Services. For parents and families that apply and qualify, ...