Following the leader: Associations between leader support and teacher retention in child care settings

Abstract

There is high turnover among child care teachers in the United States. Center directors could play an important role in reducing this turnover, but to date, research on how leaders in child care support workforce stability typically has not been conducted beyond small, selected samples. This study links survey responses from 1,114 teachers working in 152 publicly funded child care centers to examine how leader support (as reported by teachers) is associated with teachers’ intentions to stay and observed retention at their center eight months later. Results suggest leader support is positively associated with observed teacher retention, above and beyond a set of teacher, leader, and center characteristics. Our findings suggest child care leaders may be important in promoting workforce stability and quality improvement.