The Risk Of High Staff Turnover

In early childhood education, consistency is more than a comfort; it’s a cornerstone of safety and learning. A recent sector discussion highlighted the risks of high staff turnover, describing it as a “revolving door” that undermines trust, attachment, and quality outcomes for children.

The Core Concern

Families dropping children off each morning often face unfamiliar faces. This instability raises critical questions:

• How can children form secure attachments without consistent caregivers?
• What does turnover mean for compliance, safeguarding, and curriculum continuity?
• How do educators themselves experience this cycle of change?

Insights from Educators 

• Pay and Recognition

  • Many educators compared their wages to tradespeople or cleaners, noting the disparity despite the responsibility of shaping young lives.
  • Experienced staff leaving the sector due to low pay was a recurring theme, with decades of knowledge lost in the process.

• Ratios and Workload

  • Calls for permanent changes to staff-to-child ratios were strong. Educators argued that better ratios would not only improve outcomes for children but also reduce burnout and turnover.

• Waivers and Training Pathways

  • Some educators questioned whether waivers (allowing trainees to work while studying) are truly harmful. They pointed out that many trainees bring fresh energy and capability, suggesting the issue lies more in systemic support than in the waiver itself.

Why Stability Matters

For Children

• Secure relationships are the foundation of early learning.

• High turnover interrupts attachment, leading to anxiety and disengagement.

For Educators

• Burnout rises when staff constantly adapt to new colleagues.

• Retention suffers without fair pay and recognition, weakening sector expertise.

Beyond the Revolving Door

The “revolving door” of staff turnover is not just about individual workplaces—it reflects deeper structural problems in how governments regulate, fund, and value early childhood education.

Key Issues Raised

1. Corporate Profit vs. Child Safety

Large corporate providers often prioritize profit margins over quality outcomes.

• Impact: Cost-cutting measures can lead to underqualified staff, stretched ratios, and reduced investment in professional development.
• Educator Voice: Many argue that government should limit the influence of profit-driven corporations in a sector that should prioritize children’s well-being above all else.

2. Tightening Qualifications

Quick, fast-track online courses have flooded the sector with educators who may lack depth of training.

• Impact: This undermines professional standards and leaves children in the care of staff who may not be fully prepared for the complexities of early childhood education.
• Solution: Governments must enforce higher-quality training pathways, ensuring that qualifications are rigorous, reflective, and practice-based.

3. Fixing Ratios

“Under the roof” ratios allow services to meet compliance on paper while stretching staff too thin in practice.

• Impact: Children receive less individual attention, and educators face unsustainable workloads.
• Solution: Ratios should reflect actual group dynamics and ensure safe, meaningful engagement for every child.

4. Pay and Professional Respect

Educators consistently highlight the gap between their responsibilities and their wages.

• Impact: Low pay drives turnover, erodes morale, and devalues the profession.
• Solution: Governments must align pay with the expertise required, recognizing educators as professionals equal to teachers in schools.

The “revolving door” metaphor captures the instability families and educators face daily. Popular comments reveal frustration but also hope—through better pay, ratios, and recognition, the sector can move toward stability. For educators, this is both a challenge and a call to action: to advocate, innovate, and ensure that every child experiences the safety of consistent, caring relationships.

Further Reading 

90% Of Childcare Services Have Staff Shortages
Childcare Enrolments Capped Due To Severe Workforce Shortages
Ratio Reform: Seeing Every Child, Supporting Every Educator

Reference:
Steph Hodgins May