Tackling Teacher Turnover in Child Care: Understanding Causes and Consequences, Identifying Solutions‪.‬

"Teacher turnover," the number of teachers who leave a program during a year (Granger & Whitebook, 1989), has numerous detrimental effects that can lower the quality of care received by children and families. High rates of teacher turnover, high child-to-adult ratios, and poorly trained staff characterize poor-quality child care in the United States (De Vita, Twombly, & Montilla, 2002). In fact, high rates of teacher turnover may be a consequence of low program quality. When a teacher leaves, the remaining caregivers may feel the effects of losing a team member in their classroom or program (Hamrick, 2000), and these effects can trickle down to the children. The loss of a particular caregiver with whom a child has established a trusting relationship can affect the child's feelings of security in the child care setting, and also may affect the development of cognitive and social skills (Howes, Hamilton, & Philipsen, 1998; Howes & Smith, 1995). Center directors may be left scrambling to find a competent and knowledgeable person to fill the vacant position; very often, they have a difficult time doing so (Neugebauer, 1997).