Overcoming Burnout in Early Childhood Education
Resources and materials to support staff
Being a part of the Head Start workforce is an incredibly powerful and rewarding experience, but we know that it is not always easy. In NHSA’s 2019 Effective Practice Survey, we heard from members of the Head Start community across the country about the barriers they are facing and what issues are most important to them. Then, using the common “pain points” that emerged in the survey, we launched the Overcoming Roadblocks Initiative at the start of this program year. Over the past several months we have brought together experts from the field to work through tangible solutions, and share them with you through a series of toolkits, webinars, and other resources.
Head Start teachers, counselors, advocates, and so many others make up the foundation of the Head Start community. At the same time, we know there can be challenges in attracting and sustaining the strong, committed staff Head Start needs to best support children and families.
This quarter the Overcoming Roadblocks series focused specifically on supporting the Head Start workforce, from beginning to end.
What did we learn?
1. A strong start is key
A good onboarding process is an essential part of making new staff feel welcome in the Head Start community. You can use the onboarding process to share the magic of Head Start and build meaningful relationships. When new staff feel connected to their program, their coworkers, and the Head Start mission, they are more likely to develop a positive, long-term relationship.
2. Be creative
While there may not be a lot of wiggle room in the budget, there are still plenty of ways for you to support the Head Start workforce. Building short breaks into a teacher’s schedule or finding unique professional development opportunities to entice new teachers are just a couple of ways that Head Start programs are finding innovative solutions to their workforce challenges.
3. Prioritize self-care
Working in early childhood certainly has its stressors, and it is important to acknowledge this and support staff in taking care of themselves. After all, it is impossible to take care of others when you are not taking care of yourself.
What did we do?
First in September, NHSA hosted a webinar, Strategies for Improving Staff Retention and Reducing Burnout, where we heard from Julie Jones, the HR Director at Inspire Development Centers and MaDonna Princer, the Executive Director of Head Start for Kent County in Michigan. This webinar provided a comprehensive look at the importance of building a supportive culture and regular engagement with all staff members. Our speakers shared their own wellness strategies as well as how they provide ongoing professional development opportunities for staff. Given a limited budget, they often have to think creatively about how to create support systems in their programs. One common theme for our speakers was the importance of building strong relationships and intentionally organizing mentorship opportunities.
Then in October, we hosted the Recruiting and Hiring the Staff You Need webinar with Maura Burke and Erin Blake of Fairfax County Public Schools, Pamm Shaw, Executive Director of the YMCA of the East Bay, and Julie Jones of Inspire Development Centers. Together, they described how strong recruitment is a combination of effective outreach and attractive benefits. For instance, they discussed partnering with universities not only for outreach to bring in new teachers, but also to create unique apprenticeship programs for parents and continue building the Head Start workforce. They also highlighted how a good onboarding process helps to keep new teachers involved and ensures that they feel supported from the start.
And finally in November, we hosted Finding Time for Self Care with Dr. Holly Hatton-Bowers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Director Kerri Wortinger of Little Giants Preschool. This webinar not only went into the research behind the importance of self care, but also provided practical examples for your everyday life. We learned that there is no one catchall answer to practicing self-care, but that incorporating various wellness practices can help you better care for those around you.
What can you do?
- Check out NHSA’s Staff Wellness Toolkit to learn how you can implement a few best practices.
- Use NHSA’s interactive Orientation Module to introduce new staff to Head Start. Available for NHSA’s online member platform, The Block.
- Read NHSA’s Exemplar on Teacher Retention to hear more stories of what Head Start programs across the country are doing to support their staff’s needs.
- Watch our webinar recordings to hear our speakers’ stories directly. You can find all of our webinars by clicking the links above or by going to NHSA’s online member platform, The Block. If you have questions about access to The Block or NHSA membership, please email TheBlock@nhsa.org.
