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NCCIC Library
Then and Now: Changes in Child Care Staffing, 1994 - 2000
By Emily Gerber, Carolee Howes, Laura Sakai, Marcy Whitebook
2001
Summary: This study examined changes in child care staffing at quality child are centers in three California communities at three points in time (1994, 1996, and 2000). Data indicate that the teaching staff workforce is alarmingly unstable, even in high-quality programs. Year-to-year turnover and the inability of centers to replace staff contribute to instability. Despite recognition that higher wages contribute to greater staff stability, compensation for the majority of teaching staff positions has not kept pace with the cost of living. The majority of teachers recommend improving wages as essential to stemming turnover. Data also indicate that director turnover is exceedingly high and contributes to staff instability. The staffing crisis negatively effects directors’ job satisfaction and their ability to do their jobs well. Highly skilled and educated teaching staff are more likely to remain at their jobs if they earn higher than average wages and work with a higher percentage of well-trained teaching staff who also remain on the job. The presence of a greater proportion of highly-trained staff in 2000 is the strongest predictor of whether a center can sustain quality improvements over time. Even programs accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) did not experience lower turnover among teaching or administrative staff between 1996 and 2000. Contains 55 references.
Index Terms: Accreditation, Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Quality Of Child Care, Staffing Patterns, Teacher Qualifications, Quality Initiatives, National Association For the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Publisher: Center for the Child Care Workforce and Institute of Industrial Relations, University of California, Berkeley
Publication Type: Reports (Descriptive)
Pages: 80 pages
Language: English
Availability
Center for the Child Care Workforce
555 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington,
District of Columbia
20001
202-662-8005
FAX: 202-662-8006
ccw@aft.org
http://www.ccw.org/
10530 Rosehaven St., Suite 400 • Fairfax, VA 22030 | Phone: (800) 616-2242 • Fax: (800) 716-2242 • TTY: (800) 516-2242
NCCIC is a service of the Child Care Bureau (CCB), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Administration for Children and Families(ACF), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services