Staff Recruitment Strategies for Early Childhood Education Centers

Recruiting talent in the education sector has been tough, especially over the past few years. As of 2023, the National Center for Education Statistics says 45% of public schools feel that they’re understaffed. While things have gotten better, a 45% shortage across the nation is still huge. The greatest shortage, however, is in special education.

Early childhood education centers have not been exempt from this problem. While it’s not as drastic as the shortage in special education, it’s also been quite difficult for the childcare industry to get and keep talent.

So what can childcare centers do to attract talent? In this article, we’ll discuss some of the strategies childcare center owners can use to find the right people. The first thing you need to know is that you need to understand your market.

Understanding the Childcare Market

Mobile-first Strategy

A lot of the people in the childcare industry are not really computer-savvy. Most of them accomplish their tasks on their phones. What does this mean for you? You need to be where the market is. This means your job ads and your application portal need to be mobile-friendly. Put yourself in the shoes of potential applicants. If you don’t see the job ad or if you can’t complete the application form on your phone, you’re probably not gonna apply, right?

Tackle the Perceived Lack of Prestige

Our industry isn’t really a signifier of great success. That doesn’t mean it’s not a great field in which to work, it just means the perception is not as rosy as some other industries. You need to be able to address this head-on when interviewing people. It’s not that you need to convince them that early childcare is a prestigious industry, you just need to be able to make them realize that it doesn’t really matter that it’s not.

Be Upfront about How the Job Pays

We have to admit it, working in childcare isn’t the most lucrative job there is. We all know that. But it is a rewarding job in its own right, and that’s what you need to make potential candidates understand.

Be Creative with the Benefits You Offer

Traditional benefits like medical insurance aren’t a game-changer anymore. They’re still important, sure, but most potential candidates are looking for more. 

So what can you give? You can try gift cards for groceries, rideshare credits, or maybe subsidized gym or wellness center memberships, basically anything that might improve the quality of life of your team members.

Again, you have to understand the market and know what the people want. It’s the only way you can keep up and get the people that you need.

Be Willing to Teach

Many potential hires may be entry-level or those transitioning from other situations. They won’t know the ins and outs of childcare. Heck, they probably don’t even know how it is to actually work at a real job. In that case, we need to be the ones to teach them those skills so they can be productive parts of our teams.

Look for relevant character traits and transferable skills. Some people may do well in childcare even if they have a different background.

Strategic Sourcing

Now that you know how to find people, let’s move on to figuring out where to look. Where can you source the best candidates for your center?

Look Everywhere

Conventional wisdom will tell you to find candidates who either have prior experience in the childcare industry or have a degree related to it. However, doing that limits your pool of potential hires. What you can do is just go out and look for people everywhere. For example, if you go out and eat, you might meet a server who provides you with excellent service. But what if he doesn’t want to wait tables anymore? You’ll never know unless you ask.

Strike up a conversation with the people that you meet. Every opportunity to talk to someone is an opportunity to bring them into your team.

Look for Relevant Character Traits And Transferable Skills

So if you’re not gonna hire based on experience or education, what are you going to base your decisions on? Look for relevant character traits and transferable skills. In the waiter example we mentioned earlier, consider how well he takes care of you over the course of dinner. This shows he has a caring attitude that might be useful in a childcare setting.

Or maybe think about people who have worked with the elderly or even with pets. If they thrived in environments where they had to take care of either elderly people or animals who needed help, they’re likely going to do well in childcare.

You can also give people who work in creatives a try. Designers, artists, or journalists have the creativity and visionary attitude that might make them a good fit for the classroom.

Carefully Examine Online Resumes

If you look at people’s resumes from online job boards, you might not be looking at the most updated or most accurate version. Some might even be fake. Be very careful when going through online resumes and watch for red flags.

Remember, you need to understand the market and offer the people what they need. You also have to be creative when sourcing potential hires. We hope these tips and strategies will help you find the people who can help your team.