What Keeps Early Childhood Teachers Working in Long Day Care?

Abstract

RETAINING EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS in long day care (LDC) is a pressing challenge for Australia's reform agenda in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Case study research with five early childhood teachers in LDC revealed individual and contextual factors that enabled and challenged the teachers to stay in LDC. Drawing on social constructivist approaches, the research contributes empirically based insights that support the recruitment and retention of early childhood teachers in LDC.