The 2024 Child Care Management Software Industry Trends Report from Procare Solutions found that 61% of respondents said it’s a challenge to hire and retain staff.
Let’s take a deeper look at the report’s findings on staffing, including how to hire more staff and what you can do to better manage the staff you do have!
‘Build Your Leadership Bench’ to Improve Staff Morale
As of September 2023, the child care sector was still down about 39,400 workers compared with February 2020 levels, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The shortage of child care workers has broader implications. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office found that child care obligations represent a massive hurdle for workers struggling to access job training, according to an article in Forbes.
As wages in other sectors have grown dramatically in recent years to attract workers, teachers and other child care staff are seeking other forms of employment that pay more and are less stressful.
“If you want to inspire growth and development on your team, consider how to build your leadership bench by adjusting your organization chart and create titles that give credit to the work being done,” said Beth Cannon, an ECE business leadership strategist and keynote speaker in the industry who shared her insights in the 2024 Procare Solutions report.
“What if you could take A-team players and give them stretch assignments, titles that inspire them and recognize the positive energy they bring to your organization?” she asked.
Job titles hold significant value to millennial and Generation Z professionals, according to Business Insider. Beth points out that the term “assistant” may not resonate with an individual contributing as significantly as a director; therefore, it’s worth exploring the potential shift to titles like “program director” and “administration director” rather than the traditional pairing of a director and an assistant director.
“This is one of the most valuable positions on your staff,” Beth said. “If you have someone flexible and willing to be anywhere you need them, give them the credit they deserve and call them team support.”
Implementing retention strategies such as offering competitive salaries, providing professional development opportunities and creating a supportive work culture can enhance staff satisfaction and reduce turnover.
Staff Management Is Vital for Your Center to Succeed
The data from the 2024 Child Care Management Software Industry Trends Report from Procare Solutions confirms that staffing shortages are affecting centers in multiple ways:
Using software can help centers identify key needs in staffing ratios and compliance, view historical trends reports and determine areas for improvement in hiring and retention processes.
With Procare, your child care center can easily keep track of staff information, including availability/scheduling, immunization records, background checks and additional details of employment.
This makes it easy to build a network of qualified child care providers that can be accessed to fill full-time roles or to substitute for a full-time staff member who is sick or absent. Procare also helps streamline staff management activities such as time cards, payroll and calculating benefit hours.
Filling out paperwork with pen and paper is tedious. And it’s a pain for you to input all that information into your system. Procare can automate all of this for you. And you can store signed documents in one central location.
Child care administrators can use the Procare child care mobile app to communicate directly with staff members about scheduling changes, new policies and procedures as well as initiatives to improve operations and safety at the center.
Procare’s technology allows teachers and staff to sign in and out easily using a tablet. Timecards automatically are updated!
Learn More About How Procare Can Help!
Procare Solutions gives you the tools you need to grow your enrollment and overcome staffing challenges.
By using daycare software, you can manage child-to-staff ratios while helping your staff do their jobs more easily, which reduces their stress and lessens the chance of burnout.
Download this free infographic to learn more about how child care management software from Procare can help address challenges in child care staffing and join us for a personalized demo to get your questions answered.
