RUNNING HEAD: Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood Education

Kelly Pillow
Capstone Project
Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

RUNNING HEAD: Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood Education

There are many reasons for teacher turnover at every level of

education. However, when it comes to Early Childhood Education, there
seems to be a much higher rate of turnover than at any other level. Why is
that? As a Bachelors of Professional Studies student with a concentration
area in Early Childhood Education, it will be important to know why these
teachers leave their jobs so often. This literature review will focus three main
areas of the issue of high turnover within this field. First, it will discuss what
the focus of Early Childhood Education truly is. Secondly, it will discuss why
there is so much turnover within the field, and lastly, it will cover why a high
amount of turnover is bad for the children. Although the literature presents
these issues in many different ways, this review will focus solely on how they
can have an effect on a young child.
Review of Literature
Focus of Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education is defined as a term encompassing
developmentally appropriate programs that serve children from birth through
eight years of age and a field of study that trains students to work effectively
with young children. In other words, there are programs, both publicly and
privately funded, that take on the role of educator and babysitter for children
of a young age. Their job is to help maximize the neural growth of young
children by putting them in learning rich environments. More importantly,
programs such as Head Start have shown us that high-quality early

RUNNING HEAD: Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood Education

educational intervention can help to combat poverty and improve

opportunities for children who may be at risk (Essa 2014).
With the amount of good that these programs can do, and the fact
that they are growing at a rapid pace, it is important to have well qualified
teachers to fill the vacancies. Research on child care workers' education has
shown that professional preparation has a significant impact on children's
cognitive and emotional development. Therefore, the need for high-quality
early childhood professional development has expanded across the United
States (McEntire 2011). Without certifiably trained educators, the good that
these programs do would not be possible.
In the end, the literature suggests that Early Childhood Education is a
growing field within the United States. Several states have adopted state
funded programs to attract and help the families of children whom they wish
to send to these programs, and these programs have delivered. So why is
there so much turnover within the field?
Why Is There So Much Turnover
According to public-policy and research director for Teaching
Strategies, Jeffrey Capizzano, teacher turnover is one of the most serious and
complicated issues in Early Childhood Education. Also, studies show that
twenty to forty percent of early childhood educators quit their job each year,
which is two to four times higher than regular school teachers (Shellenbarger
2006). The reasons behind this lie mostly behind low wages, minimal

RUNNING HEAD: Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood Education

benefits, and the stressful work environment. For many of these early
childhood educators, it seems to be an entry level job for which they really
did not understand everything that would be asked of them. Many educators
were found to have only a high school diploma, if that, while only a small
percentage of educators have obtained a college degree. For example,
according to a 2005 study, the average pay was $10 an hour, and only onethird of child-care staffers got health insurance through their jobs. Not
exactly what someone is looking for in a lifelong career path.
While most of the turnover problems can be attributed to low income,
and little to no benefits, the literature suggests that there are other reasons
for turnover as well. The work environment itself is one of these. It appears
that many of these child centers tend to be underfunded, and sometimes
even under staffed. Either of which can cause the tension levels to rise.
However, there is another reason for turnover that should be highlighted,
and that is the lack of male early childhood educators. While many may think
that men would not typically apply for a job that would involve taking care of
very young children, there is actually a pretty large number of men who
choose this field. However, many of the men who have performed tasks in
this field have stated that they left the profession because they felt
discriminated against (Essa 2014). Many of these men stated that they felt
looked down upon by the women that they were working with, as if they
would not have the first clue as to how to care for a young child. That, in

RUNNING HEAD: Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood Education

turn, can cause trust issues, which then leads back to a strenuous work
environment that is of no benefit to anyone.
How Turnover Effects the Children
To this point, the literature has established what early childhood
education is, and why the turnover rate is so high. So, how does this affect
the children? In short, the high amount of turnover can have a sustained
negative effect on young children. Many of these children will develop a
routine, and a relationship with their teachers, and other staff members.
When this daily routine is interrupted, the children can become upset.
Change for anyone, regardless of age, can be terrifying. However, for a child
who is still mentally developing, it can have lifelong effects. For example, a
child who repeatedly has a trusted adult leave them, such as the turnover in
early childhood education, can develop trust issues that they may, or may
not ever be able to get over (Essa 2014). These trust issues can then keep
that child from ever experiencing what absolute trust is as they grow older.
So, the effects that this can have on these children is exponential.
Looking back on the issue with the lack of male early childhood
educators, this too can have a negative effect of the children in these
programs. For many of these children, they come from either single parent
homes, or two working parent homes in which they may or may not see their
father regularly. It is important for these children to have a father figure in

RUNNING HEAD: Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood Education

their life, and with the lack of male teachers in this concentration area, it is
not doing those kids any favors.
Conclusion
All in all, early childhood education programs can be a great thing for
families looking to put their young children in a learning rich environment.
They can provide children with opportunities and experiences that they may
not get at home, and help to sustain healthy mental growth. However, there
is a large black eye on these programs, and it comes in the form of teacher
turnover. The exponentially high rate of turnover within these programs must
be stopped, and well educated, lifelong educators need to be put into place.
The children should not have to suffer from emotional detachment simply
because their teachers are leaving to find better jobs. While the role of this
literature review was to bring to light this glaring issue, further investigation
should be done in order to derive a plan on how to fix it. For example, by
increasing wages and providing full benefits, could the turnover rate be
lowered to a reasonable number? The answers need to be found, because if
not, these children will continue to be put in situations that could likely affect
them for the rest of their lives.

RUNNING HEAD: Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood Education

References
Essa, Eva L. (2014) Introduction to Early Childhood Education. University of
Nevada, Reno.
Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Retrieved on October 14, 2016
McEntire, Nancy (2011) Early Childhood Teacher Education. Childhood
Education, 87.5,
Pg 373-374. Retrieved on October 16, 2016.
Shellenbarger, Sue (Aug 2006) Notable Absence: High Teacher Turnover Can
Take Emotional

RUNNING HEAD: Teacher Turnover in Early Childhood Education

Toll on Preschoolers. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition. Retrieved on

October 16,
2016.