Published 30 June 2026
High staff retention is rarely the result of one initiative. It is usually the outcome of consistent leadership, thoughtful systems and a workplace culture where educators feel valued, supported and able to build a long-term career.
Every early childhood service experiences resignations from time to time. Even well-managed services occasionally lose valued educators because of relocation, family commitments or career changes.
What separates high-retention services is not that people never leave. It is that fewer people want to leave in the first place.
While salary remains important, it is rarely the only reason educators stay or resign. Over many years of interviewing candidates across Australia, we have found that decisions to leave are more commonly influenced by leadership, workload, workplace culture, communication, professional growth and whether educators feel respected within their team.
Strong staff retention is therefore not simply a Human Resources outcome. It influences recruitment costs, occupancy, children’s continuity of learning, family confidence and ultimately the long-term performance of the service.
This guide examines the characteristics consistently observed in early childhood services that retain educators successfully and explores practical strategies leaders can implement to strengthen workforce stability.
Staff retention is a leadership strategy, not a recruitment strategy
Many organisations approach retention only after resignations begin to increase.
By that stage the underlying causes have often existed for months or even years.
High-performing services take a different approach. Rather than viewing recruitment and retention as separate challenges, they recognise they are closely connected. The quality of recruitment influences retention, while workplace culture determines whether talented educators remain long enough to make a meaningful contribution.
Every educator who leaves creates costs that extend well beyond recruitment fees. Remaining team members often experience increased workloads, continuity for children is disrupted, families notice instability and leaders spend valuable time recruiting rather than improving educational quality.
Services with consistently low turnover therefore treat workforce stability as an operational priority rather than simply a Human Resources function.
Common characteristics of high-retention early childhood services
Instead of presenting twenty-one disconnected tips, I’d group them into themes.
Leadership consistency
One of the strongest predictors of workforce stability is leadership consistency.
Educators generally do not expect leaders to be perfect. They do, however, expect leaders to be fair, approachable and consistent. Problems often arise when expectations change unexpectedly, communication becomes inconsistent or decisions appear unpredictable.
High-retention services usually have leaders who communicate clearly, follow through on commitments and apply expectations consistently across the team. Educators understand what success looks like because expectations are transparent.
Leadership consistency also creates psychological safety. When educators trust that leaders will respond fairly, they are more likely to raise concerns, seek support and contribute ideas. This improves both workplace culture and professional practice.
Many services focus heavily on recruiting educators while investing relatively little in leadership development. Yet leadership quality often has a greater impact on retention than recruitment activity alone.
Implementation tip:
Conduct an annual leadership capability review for Centre Directors, Educational Leaders and Room Leaders. Identify strengths, gaps and development opportunities rather than assuming leadership capability develops automatically over time.
Protected planning time
One of the most common differences between high-retention and low-retention services is how professional time is treated.
Educators consistently report that inadequate planning time contributes to stress and frustration. Documentation, observations, family communication and curriculum planning all require dedicated time. When these responsibilities regularly spill into personal hours, burnout becomes more likely.
High-retention services recognise that planning is not an optional extra. It is an essential component of quality practice.
These services actively monitor whether educators can realistically complete required tasks within allocated time. They regularly review expectations and eliminate unnecessary duplication where possible.
Protected planning time also sends a powerful cultural message. It demonstrates that educators are trusted professionals whose work extends beyond direct interactions with children.
Implementation tip:
Ask educators to anonymously identify documentation tasks that feel valuable and tasks that feel repetitive or unnecessary. Review results annually and simplify where appropriate.
Strong onboarding
Many leaders focus heavily on recruitment and assume that the hard work is finished once a candidate accepts an offer. In reality, onboarding often determines whether an educator remains with a service long enough to become a valuable long-term contributor.
High-retention services rarely leave onboarding to chance. They provide structure, clarity and support during the first ninety days of employment.
New educators are introduced not only to policies and procedures but also to the culture, values and expectations of the service. They know who to ask for help and receive regular check-ins during their transition period.
Mentoring is particularly valuable. A dedicated mentor can help new educators navigate challenges, build confidence and establish relationships with colleagues.
Services that invest in onboarding frequently report lower first-year turnover and stronger employee engagement.
Implementation tip:
Create a written onboarding roadmap that outlines what educators should learn during their first week, first month and first three months.
Educator voice and participation
Educators are more likely to remain in workplaces where their views are valued.
High-retention services create genuine opportunities for educators to contribute ideas, influence decisions and participate in continuous improvement initiatives. Importantly, this goes beyond occasional surveys or suggestion boxes.
Educators can usually see a connection between their feedback and organisational action. They understand that their perspectives matter and that leadership is prepared to listen.
When employees feel ignored, disengagement often follows. Conversely, when educators feel respected and included, they are more likely to develop a stronger sense of ownership and commitment.
This does not mean every suggestion is implemented. Rather, it means leaders communicate openly about decisions and explain the reasoning behind them.
Implementation tip:
Establish quarterly workforce feedback sessions focused specifically on educator experience, wellbeing and workplace improvement opportunities.
Professional growth opportunities
Many talented educators leave organisations not because they are unhappy, but because they cannot see a pathway forward.
High-retention services understand that professional growth is an important component of workforce stability. They actively support educators to develop new skills, pursue qualifications and explore leadership opportunities.
Professional growth does not always involve promotion. For some educators, growth may involve mentoring others, leading projects, specialising in inclusion or developing expertise in a particular area of practice.
The key is helping educators envision a future within the organisation.
Services that fail to provide growth opportunities often find themselves unintentionally developing talent for competitors.
Implementation tip:
During annual performance reviews, ask educators where they would like to be professionally in two years and discuss potential pathways to help them achieve those goals.
Strong workplace culture
Workplace culture is often discussed but rarely defined.
In practical terms, culture is the collection of behaviours, expectations and experiences that shape everyday working life. It influences how people communicate, resolve conflict, celebrate success and support one another during challenging periods.
High-retention services tend to have cultures characterised by trust, respect, collaboration and shared purpose. Educators feel comfortable asking questions, seeking support and contributing ideas.
Importantly, culture is not built through slogans, posters or occasional team events. It is built through consistent actions over time.
Strong workplace cultures often emerge when leaders model desired behaviours, address issues promptly and prioritise relationships alongside operational outcomes.
Educators who feel connected to their team and workplace culture are significantly more likely to remain during challenging periods.
Implementation tip:
During team meetings, spend time discussing workplace culture, not just operational matters. Ask educators what behaviours they would like to see more of within the team and develop practical actions together.
The hidden cost of poor retention
Most leaders measure recruitment costs because they appear on invoices.
Far fewer calculate the hidden costs created by ongoing staff turnover.
These frequently include:
- increased agency usage
- reduced occupancy
- leadership time
- lower team morale
- reduced educational consistency
- declining family confidence
- slower Quality Improvement Plan implementation
- reduced mentoring capacity
For many services, these costs exceed recruitment fees several times over
Case study
Building a stable team by investing in long-term fit Independent early learning provider • Melbourne
When this organisation first partnered with Early Years Talent, recruitment was viewed as one part of a much broader workforce strategy.
Rather than focusing solely on filling vacancies, the leadership team invested time in understanding the qualities that would strengthen their service over the long term. Every appointment was considered within the context of team dynamics, leadership capability, organisational values and future growth.
As the organisation expanded, those recruitment decisions began to compound. Several educators progressed into leadership positions, bringing continuity, mentoring capability and a deep understanding of the organisation’s culture. New team members joined established teams where expectations were clear, relationships were strong and experienced educators could provide meaningful support.
Today, the organisation is fully staffed across its services, many of the original appointments remain with the business, and prospective educators regularly express interest in joining the team.
While every service operates within different circumstances, this example highlights an important principle.
Strong staff retention is rarely created by one initiative. It develops through consistent leadership, thoughtful recruitment, supportive workplace culture and a long-term commitment to investing in people.
Questions every Centre Director should ask
Strong workforce stability develops through hundreds of everyday decisions. The following questions encourage reflection on the practices that shape educator engagement, commitment and long-term success.
Leadership
- Would my team describe my leadership as consistent, approachable and supportive?
- Does every educator understand what success looks like in their role?
- How effectively do I communicate expectations, feedback and recognition?
- How often do I invite my team to share ideas that strengthen our service?
Workplace culture
- Would current educators recommend our service to a colleague?
- Does every new team member feel welcomed, supported and connected during their first three months?
- How do we celebrate achievements and recognise individual contributions?
- Does our culture encourage collaboration, learning and shared success?
Professional growth
- Can every educator see a meaningful career pathway within our organisation?
- Do professional development opportunities align with individual strengths and aspirations?
- How are experienced educators encouraged to mentor and develop emerging leaders?
- What opportunities exist for educators to expand their skills and take on new responsibilities?
Workload and wellbeing
- Does our approach to planning time enable educators to produce quality work during their rostered hours?
- Are daily routines organised to support both children’s learning and educator wellbeing?
- Which administrative processes could be simplified to create more time for teaching and relationships?
- How regularly do we ask educators what would improve their working day?
Recruitment and onboarding
- What qualities have our most successful educators shared?
- How effectively does our recruitment process identify those qualities?
- Does our onboarding programme build confidence, relationships and a sense of belonging from the first day?
- How do we maintain momentum during an educator’s first ninety days?
Looking ahead
One question has the power to reshape every retention strategy:
If our strongest educator received another job offer tomorrow, what would encourage them to continue building their career with us?
The answers often reveal practical opportunities to strengthen leadership, workplace culture and educator experience long before recruitment becomes necessary.
Workforce stability audit
Reading about workforce stability is one thing. Understanding how your own service performs is another.
To help Centre Directors and Approved Providers put these ideas into practice, we have developed a practical Workforce Stability Audit.
The audit takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and helps you evaluate six areas that have a significant influence on long-term educator retention:
- Leadership
- Workplace culture
- Recruitment
- Professional growth
- Workload and wellbeing
- Onboarding
It also includes reflective questions and an action-planning section to help identify priorities for improvement.
Download the Workforce Stability Audit below and use it with your leadership team as part of your next planning meeting.
In summary
High staff retention is rarely achieved through one initiative.
It develops gradually through consistent leadership, thoughtful recruitment, realistic workloads and a workplace culture where educators feel respected and able to build meaningful careers.
Services that invest in these foundations often discover that recruitment becomes easier, educator engagement improves and children benefit from greater continuity of care and learning.
Rather than asking how to reduce turnover, leaders may find it more valuable to ask a different question:
What would make our best educators choose to stay for another five years?
Related resources
Explore practical guides, workforce insights and recruitment resources to help build stronger early childhood teams.
2026 Early Childhood Salary Guide
Current salary benchmarks for educators, teachers, Educational Leaders and Centre Directors across Australia.
Knowledge Centre
Explore practical articles, workforce insights and recruitment guidance for the early childhood sector.
Recruitment for employers
Learn how our assessment process helps identify educators and leaders who strengthen teams over the long term.
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Reference List
Garrett, S. & Gibbs, L. (2025) ‘Leadership practices that enable and constrain retention in early childhood education and care settings in Australia’, Education Sciences, 15(2), 185. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020185
Joo, B.K. & Jo, S.J. (2021) ‘The effects of perceived authentic leadership and organisational commitment on employee retention: The mediating role of work engagement’, European Journal of Training and Development, 45(6/7), pp. 529–548.
Kim, M., Beehr, T.A. & Prewett, M.S. (2021) ‘Employee responses to empowering leadership: A meta-analysis’, Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 28(3), pp. 257–276.
Lee, Y. & Kim, S. (2023) ‘Work engagement, psychological safety and employee retention: A systematic review’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20.
Bakker, A.B. & Demerouti, E. (2023) ‘Job Demands–Resources Theory: Taking stock and looking forward’, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 28(4).
Victorian Department of Education (2024) Early Childhood Workforce Retention Guide. Melbourne: Victorian Government.
Australian Education Research Organisation (2026) Understanding educator retention in early childhood education and care.
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If you are planning your next permanent appointment, we would be pleased to discuss your recruitment needs and help you identify the right person for your service.