Staff Retention Strategies

Taking care of children is difficult, but it’s a little easier in a positive work environment. A structured onboarding process will set team members up for success. Show them the culture of your program and make the expectations clear from the jump. Employees who are passionate about their work–and feel supported in the workplace–are less likely to experience burnout and leave their jobs. It’s impossible to stay motivated all the time at any job, but there are things programs can do to keep up morale. Consider chipping in for a gift card on birthdays or finding ways to acknowledge work-related contributions and accomplishments. Demonstrating flexibility and understanding when things get difficult also goes a long way. Manage stress as best you can by modeling healthy behaviors (like work-life balance) and validating employees’ experiences. Showing appreciation and sensitivity will make staff members feel valued.

Aside from providing emotional support, programs should encourage staff retention through compensatory supports. These include wages, benefits, paid planning time, paid time off, educational assistance, or performance-based bonuses. Provide the wage or salary scale when hiring, during evaluations, or upon request. Benefits refer to services and goods provided by the employer at no cost or at a subsidized cost for the employee. Some of these benefits include child care, medical and dental insurance, life insurance, and a retirement program. Paid time off is paid time for staff to use for vacation, when sick, or for other personal reasons. A program might offer educational assistance in the form of professional development beyond the required training hours, a stipend or grant to pursue higher education, or a scholarship program. Your Texas Rising Star assessor will evaluate how many compensatory supports your program provides and assign a score accordingly.

Stop and Reflect