Early childhood educators leaving in droves at a time when thousands more are needed.
One in five early childhood educators and teachers in childcare centres across Australia planned to leave their job within a year, according to a 2016 survey of Early Learning Centre (ELC) educators.
The COVID-19 crisis of 2020 exacerbated these staff shortages in Australian childcare centres with many staff leaving the sector through lack of work when day care attendance dropped – around 80% of child care centres experienced this decline around Australia.
Many parents removed their children from day care as their own employment (particularly casual employment) ceased in hard-hit industries such as manufacturing, retail, hospitality and small businesses.
Post-COVID, the demand for places in childcare rose as parents returned to employment and Skills Australia advised that the demand for Australian childcare workers is likely to grow by 7% from 2016 to 2026.
Pandemic aside, the impact on children when an educator leaves the sector is directly felt through their learning and well-being, as new educators need to be trained into the childcare centre.
Jen Jackson, writing for The Conversation, notes three key factors contributing to the loss of ELC educators:
- ELC workers are undervalued – most are paid well below the Australian average gross weekly earnings.
- Stress from adapting to the demands of families in COVID on top of the emotional labour of working with young children.
- Funding of ELCs comes from federal and state governments, as well as parent fees and employers are making decisions based on various industrial agreements
We encourage ELC workers in non-government schools to become members of the IEU in order to access advice on pay and conditions and to learn more about their rights and entitlements. With the support of the IEU, members can focus on being the best educator they can be.
As evidenced now in the Eastern States, the COVID pandemic will play a significant role in job security and worker safety for some time and without the support of the IEU, ELC workers are on their own to resolve any matters.
Contact the IEU today on 8410 0122 or join online – click here
Sources:
Jen Jackson. Program Director, Centre for Policy Development, and Associate Professor of Education, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University https://theconversation.com/early-childhood-educators-are-leaving-in-droves-here-are-3-ways-to-keep-them-and-attract-more-153187
Emily Bourke. ABC News Online. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-10/covid-restrictions-grandparents-not-able-to-raise-grandchildren/13135898
Retail World. https://retailworldmagazine.com.au/industries-most-impacted-by-covid-19/
Skills Australia. https://www.skillsaustralia.edu.au/blog/how-the-demand-of-child-care-workers-post-covid-19-will-increase-in-australia/
