The Hidden Cost of Daycare Staff Turnover & How to Support Your Daycare Team

May 6, 2026

Staff turnover within a daycare is often talked about as an operational challenge. But its biggest impact is on children. Every time a staff member leaves, it has a trickle down effect on every area of operations. Instead of building momentum, you stay stuck in training mode. When staff are constantly changing, that stability disappears.

Consistency is one of the most important factors in quality care. Children thrive when they know what to expect, who to trust, and how their day will flow. Supporting your daycare staff goes beyond ensuring you are helping them prevent burnout. It also entails supporting them to grow, develop greater skills, and gain more independence, which in turn benefits directors, owners, and the children.

Most operators want to support their team more. The challenge is finding the time. When you’re already stretched, it can feel impossible to add anything else. But support doesn’t have to mean doing more.

Let’s dive into the hidden cost of losing daycare staff and how you can best support your staff without adding more to your workload.

The Hidden Cost of Daycare Staff Turnover

When a childcare room educator leaves, it can have a huge effect on the daily routines of the kids and fellow staff members. How?

  • Relationships are disrupted
  • Routines change
  • Children lose a sense of familiarity and trust
  • Your team needs to start over again

For operators, this also creates a hidden workload:

  • More supervision
  • More coaching
  • More decision-making

What actually improves retention isn’t just hiring more people. It’s building confidence and capability in the team you already have. When staff feel clear about expectations, confident in their jobs, and supported in their growth, they stay longer and perform better.

Stability isn’t just a staffing goal. It’s a quality-of-care strategy. Let’s look at how you can best help support your team without added burden.

Supporting Your Childcare Team Without Adding More To Your Workload

Properly supporting your daycare staff doesn’t have to mean investing more of your valuable time. It really just means doing things differently.

Instead of stepping in constantly, focus on small, consistent leadership actions. These will benefit both of you.

Start with short check-ins. You don’t need long meetings. A quick conversation can go a long way.

Ask:

  • What’s going well?
  • What’s been challenging?
  • What’s one thing to focus on this week?

These conversations build confidence and reduce repeated issues.

Next, shift how you delegate. Instead of asking staff to “help,” give them clear ownership.

Define:

  • What they’re responsible for
  • What success looks like
  • When it happens

Clarity creates consistency.

Finally, reduce how often you are the answer. If you’re responding to the same questions every day, it’s a sign that something needs to be clarified or structured.

Support your team by giving them the tools and guidance to decide without you.

That’s where your workload starts to decrease. Check out the follow-up blog: How to Build a Childcare Team That Doesn’t Need Your for Everything.

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