Many Australian centres are feeling the pressure of finding and keeping qualified educators. Staffing gaps can mean rooms operating below capacity, more overtime and less continuity for children and families. While no single childcare educator shortage solution fixes everything, the 7 practical steps below can help your centre attract, support and keep great people.
7 Practical Solutions to the Childcare Educator Shortage
1. Make retention your first recruitment strategy
Keeping the educators you already have is often the most effective way to ease a shortage. Regular check-ins, fair workloads and recognition for good work all help people feel valued, and our guide on reducing staff turnover in childcare shares more ideas.
2. Look after wellbeing and workload
Each resignation can add pressure to the team members who stay, which can lead to further turnover. Watching for early signs of burnout, such as rising sick leave or lower morale, gives you a chance to act sooner. Simple steps like protected breaks and realistic rosters can make a meaningful difference.
3. Grow your own pipeline through students and trainees
Students on placement and trainees can become your future educators, especially when they have a positive experience with your team. Educators who are actively working towards an approved qualification may also count towards your service’s qualification requirements when they meet the conditions set out in the National Regulations. ACECQA’s guidance explains how this works.
4. Offer clear career pathways
Educators are more likely to stay when they can see where their career could go, whether that’s room leader, educational leader or early childhood teacher. Supporting further study, such as moving from a Certificate III to a diploma, shows you’re investing in their future. If you’re recruiting for teaching roles, our guide to attracting and keeping early childhood teachers covers ECTs specifically.
5. Build a reliable relief pool
A pool of trusted casual educators who know your centre can cover absences without stretching your permanent team. Keeping their availability and compliance documents current means they’re ready when you need them, and our guide to building and managing a childcare relief pool explains how to set one up.
6. Streamline onboarding without cutting corners
Waiting on Working With Children Checks, qualification evidence and other documents can delay a new educator’s start date. These checks still need to meet your state's requirements before someone begins work, but a clear onboarding checklist and digital tools to track documents can help reduce admin delays.
7. Plan your workforce ahead, not just after resignations
Recruiting only after someone resigns can leave gaps that are hard to fill quickly. Tracking measures such as time to fill vacancies, turnover and unfilled shifts helps you spot pressure points early.
Final thoughts
There’s no quick fix for the educator shortage, but small, steady changes can add up. Focusing on retention, growing your own pipeline and planning ahead can be a practical childcare educator shortage solution for many centres. Start with one or two of the ideas above and build from there.
How QuickCare can help
QuickCare connects qualified educators with childcare centres across Australia. Through On-Demand Staffing, centres can book cover for short-notice gaps and see each educator's experience on their profile. Services should still confirm qualifications and Working With Children Checks before the shift.
