Preschool Director’s Practical Guide to Hiring the Best Teachers - Recruitment, Retention and Burnout Reduction

Sep 13, 2026

Guide for preschool directors on building a high-quality teaching workforce through careful recruitment, effective retention practices, and burnout reduction. Explains how hiring decisions should consider candidate fit beyond qualifications, including child-focused skills, communication, and ability to work under pressure. Uses research and industry observations to frame challenges such as staff turnover intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, then provides practical recruitment and culture-focused strategies to sustain stability and improve teacher wellbeing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Step up your recruitment game

Preschool teacher retention starts on day one

Tips for keeping teacher burnout at bay

Step up your recruitment game

The Ideal Teacher

Preschool Director’s practical guide to hiring the best teachers: Recruitment, Retention and Burnout Reduction [www.teachkloud.com](www.teachkloud.com) Table of Contents Click on a chapter to go straight to that page or Introduction Step up your recruitment game Preschool teacher retention starts on day one Tips for keeping teacher burnout at bay 01 02-09 09-11 12-13 Preschool Director’s Guide to practical guide to hiring the best teachers: Recruitment, Retention and Burnout Reduction If you want your preschool to thrive, it’s crucial that you invest in the most important part of your childcare business: teachers. This is why hiring a teacher for your preschool should be done with care and consideration. Hiring the wrong talent can jeopardise the care and education provided to children while ruining the reputation of your preschool within the community. It’s no secret that hiring quality staff is an important factor in any childcare business, and it can be hard to find talented teachers. At TeachKloud, we’ve worked with thousands of early childhood professionals who have raised concerns about working conditions and retaining quality teachers. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has made this process even more difficult for nursery directors, as they struggle with high turnover rates that negatively affect workforce stability. When assessing potential candidates, it’s essential to consider the unique characteristics of the individual and not just their qualifications. We may ask ourselves if they have an understanding of who we are and what we do as an early childhood setting? How do they cater to the diverse needs of children and their families? Do they work well under pressure or with a high workload? Importantly, research seems to indicate that qualifications coupled with skill and a genuine love of working with children lay the foundations for quality practice. For example, in a 2019 study, Choose Your Words Wisely: Descriptions of a Professional Early Childhood Practitioner, by TeachKloud’s CEO, results indicated that “all of the practitioners sampled emphasised interpersonal skills as a core characteristic in their definitions of a professional practitioner; words such as “love,”“creativity,”“enthusiasm,”“fun,” and “dedication” took precedence”(Oke, 2019: 3052). However, burnout is a huge problem in the childcare industry, with stress-induced burnout being a major concern for nursery directors and teachers (Decker et al., 2002). Now, we know that the pandemic has made it even more difficult for childcare directors to not only hire but retain qualified staff members. The after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are set to have an adverse bearing on the stability of the early childhood workforce for years to come. It’s not all bad news though, as childcare professionals, we have every right to hold high hopes for the early education industry! We've compiled a summary of proven tips to help you hire the best teachers for your business and retain them by creating a positive work culture and eliminating burnout. ~~ ~~ 01. Step up your recruitment game Research indicates that quality early childhood education is dependent on the quality of the teacher and learning experiences afforded to young children. Having worked with thousands of childcare owners and teachers over the years using our preschool management app, we can attest to this as well. Whether or not your preschool is state-of-the-art and equipped with an array of learning materials won't matter, unless you have qualified and passionate teachers. But don’t fret, the best preschool teachers are out there, and we’re here to help you find them. The Ideal Teacher Before attracting the right candidate, it is important to have a clear picture of the ideal candidate. Can you compile a checklist of the most important skills and competencies (academic and interpersonal) that the right candidate should have? For example, you

FAQs

Why is hiring the right preschool teacher important for directors?

Hiring the wrong talent can jeopardise children’s care and education and harm the preschool’s reputation in the community. Hiring quality staff supports learning experiences and service quality.

What should be considered when assessing candidates beyond qualifications?

Directors should evaluate how candidates understand the early childhood setting, meet diverse needs of children and families, and work well under pressure and high workload. Research suggests qualifications combined with skills and genuine love for working with children underpin quality practice.

How does burnout affect the childcare industry, and what can directors do?

Burnout is a major concern linked to stress for nursery directors and teachers, and pandemic after-effects can worsen workforce stability. The guide recommends creating a positive work culture and eliminating burnout to retain teachers.

Sep 13, 2026

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