The colliding of pandemic health and safety policies and historic underinvestment in early learning has culminated in worrying trends in the education workforce. In fact, the sector has seen a decline of more than 160,000 jobs.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from a panel that includes Shanda Parkinson and Amanda Horne of the Davis School District Head Start program in Utah and Lauren Bell of Ready Nation.

Listen to the episode to learn more about the latest trends in the ECE workforce. And, hear the strategies that one district is using to recruit, train, and retain its educators.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• [00:00:50] Introductions
• [00:03:30] What the phrase “challenges with the workforce” means
• [00:08:03] Challenges that childcare educators are facing besides COVID
• [00:11:06] The report from ReadyNation
• [00:12:10] How research compares to what's happening in Utah
• [00:18:53] How to fill the teaching pipeline
• [00:23:35] Retention strategies from Davis Head Start
• [00:24:24] How co-teachers help with retaining staff
• [00:25:34] The Staff Health Improvement Program for health and mental health
• [00:29:15] The Head Start support team
• [00:32:18] Policies and investments to fix the challenges

Resources

Marnetta Larrimer

Darlene Estes-Del Re

Shanda Parkinson

Amanda Horne

Lauren Bell

Ready Nation