Childcare centres facing a mass exodus of staff

A crippling shortfall in Victorian childcare centres has experts warning that the wellbeing of children will suffer.

Childcare centres nationally are facing a mass exodus of staff, with three in four educators saying they will leave within three years.

The effect of dealing with stressed parents and anxious children due to the pandemic is taking its toll. Low pay and higher workloads, including the pressure of endless cleaning, are also contributing factors, a survey has found.

A third of staff say they won’t stay long-term and one in four say they will leave within a year, according to the national poll of 3800 current and former staff by the United Workers Union.

Half of those surveyed who said they would remain in the sector still think about leaving “all the time”.

The results show 73 per cent of educators want to leave because of excessive workloads, 63 per cent because of low pay and 47 per cent because they feel undervalued. Even qualified educators only earn three dollars more than the national minimum wage of $20.33 an hour.

Many are also concerned about how the high turnover rate is affecting the wellbeing of the children they care for.

Childcare staff Aditi Aujla with Harman, 3, Elizabeth Watterson with Charlotte, 1, Sarah Pentecost and Sukhjeet Kaur with Sehaj, 4. Picture: Mark Stewart

The report, released exclusively to the Herald Sun, notes educators have been subjected to a more stressful and anxiety-inducing working environment since the pandemic began.

United Workers Union early education director Helen Gibbons said many early educators had reached breaking point.

“The pandemic has exacerbated an existing problem, with job vacancies close to doubling compared to pre-Covid levels,” Ms Gibbons said. “High workloads because of increased understaffing is pushing more and more educators out of the sector.”

The report shows nine out of 10 educators worry that ratio exemptions are compromising the safety and wellbeing of children and 65 per cent say their services are understaffed due to shortages.

The findings come as projections show the sector needs 40,000 more staff by 2023 to meet a growing demand for early learning services.

Education Minister Alan Tudge said early childhood educators “do an incredible job and I appreciate their ­efforts to support families during Covid”.

“Since we came to office, wages have increased by 36 per cent for educators – 42 per cent for those with a degree,” he said.

“We are encouraging more workers into the sector through JobTrainer places and by reducing the cost of Early Childhood Teaching degrees by 42 per cent.”