Pictured: Teachers of Ivy League Early Learning Center in North Port pose with their retention bonuses.

The strained labor market is putting pressure on preschools to find and retain quality talent. This is especially true in Sarasota County, where there are hundreds of open positions for childcare professionals. The burden now falls on parents, as they lose income to stay home to care for their children. A new partnership between Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County (ELC) seeks to address the problem by bolstering recruitment and retention efforts in early learning. Blending philanthropic and government funds, local efforts will focus on three primary objectives: Provide retention bonuses to current teachers; Develop a community-wide marketing campaign to increase the sector’s visibility and enhance workforce outreach efforts to recruit more early learning professionals; Bolster career navigation by recruiting and assisting job candidates and new hires through entry-level training and career services. The bonuses have already made an immediate impact on both teachers and preschool directors, who have always had to be resourceful in offering incentives to their staff. Through a study commissioned by Barancik Foundation and the ELC, most recipients noted the bonuses would significantly impact their ability to remain in the profession amidst economic pressure to leave. The data has also shown that the number of first-year teachers has grown from 8% of the workforce to 12%, indicating a slight uptick in people entering the industry locally since the beginning of these efforts. With continued support from the community, we can ensure that our children have the bright start they deserve. To learn more and support the effort, visit www.whyearlylearningmatters.org. 

Pictured: Teachers of Ivy League Early Learning Center in North Port pose with their retention bonuses.