Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/living-in-the-real-world-dont-happy-be-worried-connecting-up-the-dots./5006647/
"It doesn't take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."-Bob Dylan
"What's reality got to do with it?"
-Tina Turner
There are some clear trends that are setting the context within which child care centers will operate for at least the next decade:
1. "So long, it's been good to know you." There is going to be a labor shortage in the foreseeable future. The number of workers entering the labor force will decline for at least the next ten years. There will simply be fewer people ages 16-25 available to work anywhere. It will be harder to recruit staff, and turnover is more likely as the competition for staff increases.
2. "No, Virginia, Piaget is not a watch." Child care will experience a talent shortage for the indefinite future. The number of motivated, talented, trained in early childhood staff willing to work in child care will decline at a faster rate than the overall decline in the labor force. Any increase in other, better paying early childhood, early elementary, or family education programs will accelerate the talent drain. One implication: generally preschool staff without good training in early childhood tend to adopt ...