Identification of strategies to reduce turnover among child care workers

Abstract

Forty exit surveys from child care workers who had left a social service agency were compared with 36 surveys of active child care workers with at least 12 months employment. The surveys were composed of 27 job satisfaction items scored on a five-point Likert scale. A stepwise discriminant analysis was performed on the items, resulting in a discriminant function which correctly classified child care workers into the exit or active group with 85.5 percent accuracy. The most weighted variables in which exit surveys showed more dissatisfaction than active surveys dealt with supervision (supervisor's interest in career development and supervisor's technical competence), communication (information received in Agency policies, programs, projects and problems), training, sense of accomplishment, and work load. The discriminant function indicated less dissatisfaction with pay among exiting employees than among active employees. Recommendations are made for an intervention strategy to reduce turnover among child care workers.