Always Be Hiring

One of the most common mistakes we see childcare business owners make is not having an ongoing program to identify and connect with qualified potential employees. Hiring is work! True, and we get that! However, there is no guarantee that the great employees you have today will still be working for your childcare business next week. Too often, childcare owners are caught off guard when an employee submits a resignation or does not return from lunch.

Having not placed an employment job listing ad for months, they have not received any resumes from qualified individuals. They have no one they can quickly reach out to replace the employee. Now they are in a bind – they often must personally fill the vacant role, put together a job listing, pray some qualified individuals apply, and maybe must hire someone who is not a good match – because they must fill the position immediately. Or, a temporary employee must be secured from a staffing agency at an hourly rate substantially higher than that of a direct employee.

Long before COVID, but certainly since, everyone in the childcare industry recognizes that their greatest asset is skilled, motivated teachers, assistant teachers, management team members, and all other employees in a childcare business. Qualified employees are not easy to find; finding them takes time, effort, and an ongoing process. Or, as we like to say, “Always Be Hiring.”

Recruiting is Not Only When Needed But a Continuous Process

The turnover rate in the childcare industry is high! No matter which study or article you read, the turnover rate is estimated at least 33%, and in some studies, it is over 65% annually. Turnover rates this high mean that most childcare businesses will need to replace some employees each year. An ongoing recruitment and interviewing process is essential for program stability.

The childcare industry, like many other industries in America (and many other countries), is experiencing a staffing shortage. And there is a lot of competition for qualified individuals seeking jobs in early childhood education. You need them; other childcare providers need them; and the public school system needs them.  Your ongoing recruitment process must ensure that you are connecting with and engaging these individuals and can count them among the possibilities in your employment pipeline.

Hiring a new employee without a thorough interview process increases the risk of a bad hire, leading to more employee turnover in the future. Ongoing recruiting increases the likelihood of finding candidates who contribute positively to your program’s needs, culture, and future.

Best Practices for Continuous Recruitment

• Engage in proactive networking: Cultivate relationships with potential candidates long before positions open. Attend childcare industry events – state and local conferences, training programs, etc., utilize social media, and encourage employee referrals.
• Develop a streamlined hiring process. Regularly evaluate and refine recruitment procedures to reduce delays and improve candidate experience.
• Having a good reputation in the community is essential. Qualified, career-oriented childcare professionals seek to work for the best programs in the area.
• Consistently communicate your childcare program’s values, mission, and benefits to attract like-minded talent.
• Place a consistent, simple “we are hiring” ad each month. Connect with the most qualified individuals, start a conversation, maybe meet online or interview in person, save their resume, and stay in touch to continue developing the relationship. You never know when you might need to replace an employee quickly, and having qualified individuals to call is a huge key to ongoing program stability.
• Another benefit of an ongoing recruitment process is the impact it has on current employees. Lack of qualified candidates to fill roles often leads childcare owners to keep unqualified (or not a good fit) employees longer than they should. It is easier to let underperforming employees go if you have a pipeline of qualified candidates. If your current employees know your efforts to discover qualified candidates are ongoing, it might help them be more appreciative of their jobs, show up on time, be more inclined to pursue professional development opportunities, and be more motivated in their work.
• Also, do not overlook the importance of investing in current employees to develop their skills and promote from within, thereby reducing the need to hire externally.

By treating recruiting and hiring as an ongoing process, childcare business owners can better adapt to change and maintain a strong competitive edge by consistently having the best, most qualified employees.