Employee retention and attrition management for Preschools: keeping good teachers and helpers beyond one session
Every year a preschool trains new staff and loses them. Finding out why, and fixing two or three real causes, keeps the good teachers and saves the cost of constant hiring.
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Share your requirementsWhy employee retention and attrition management matters in preschools
A preschool owner often says, they all leave after a year. Some leave for marriage or a move, which cannot be helped. Others leave because pay never moves, the day has no breaks, a parent shouted in front of the class or nobody ever said well done. Those causes can be fixed.
A retention approach sorts exits into these two kinds. It talks to leavers and to staff who stay, looks at when in the year people go, and tests a few changes: a pay step after a year, a break in the afternoon, a way to deal with rude parents, a path from helper to teacher. It does not need a large budget, just regular attention.
How to set it up
1. List everyone who left in two years
Name, role, months served, the reason given and the real reason if known. Mark which causes were personal and which could be changed.
2. Talk to leavers and stayers
A friendly chat with a leaver a few weeks after exit, and one with a long-serving person. Ask what kept her or sent her away.
3. Fix two or three causes
Common ones are an annual pay step, a proper lunch break, a rule that the principal handles rude parents and a path for helpers. Introduce one at a time and tell the team why.
4. Show a growth path
Helper to assistant to class teacher, with a course and a new title. Support a few staff to complete a recognised early years course. See career paths.
5. Recognise the work
A small thank you at term end, a mention in the parent newsletter and a pay review once a year. Make it regular, not a surprise.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Count leavers by month and mark the ones who left right after the session started.
- Ask a long-serving teacher why she stays.
- Check how many staff have had a pay change in two years.
- List the times a parent was rude to staff and what the principal did.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach employee retention and attrition management in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Yes, even a modest one. Helper, assistant, class teacher and coordinator are real steps if each has a title, a short course and a change in pay. People stay for a visible next step.
Treat it with warmth and ask whether they may return or help as cover. Keep their contact. Many return later, and a good farewell builds goodwill among parents and staff.
Look at what else counts: regular hours, a lunch break, respect, training, and protection from rude parents. Be honest about pay and tell people how and when it will be reviewed.