10 Biggest Challenges You Face Working In Childcare - Early Years Careers (2024)

You are here: Home / Early Years Management / 10 biggest challenges you face working in childcare

by Kelly 6 Comments

The challenges that people face when working in childcare

Working in childcare can have its challenges that can cause some headaches and barriers to overcome. Many people have the perception that working with children is easy when in fact this is the complete opposite. It can have its rewards and it can have its challenges. So what would you say are the biggest challenges managers and practitioners face when working in childcare?

  • Not enough time in the day to do everything
  • Too much paperwork
  • Not enough time spent with the children
  • Difficulty recruiting staff who are qualified
  • Not getting enough support
  • Difficulties in communicating with parents
  • Pay scale doesn’t represent the dedication and hard work
  • Requirement to have GCSE in maths and English
  • Not enough funding
  • Not being able to fill nursery spaces quick enough

Many of the above challenges can cause frustration amongst individuals which can lead to difficultiesarising in the team. When working in childcare these challengesare common and the only solution to them is to work together as a team to help find the strategies to help deal with them.

These are just a few, why not share your challenges with us

Related Posts:

  • Increasing Demand for Childcare Services: Navigating…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. 10 Biggest Challenges You Face Working In Childcare - Early Years Careers (4)Rosebud says

    Advanced pedagogical skills used in teaching adolescents are sometimes used on preschool children especially in less developed countries

    Reply

  2. 10 Biggest Challenges You Face Working In Childcare - Early Years Careers (5)Rachel says

    I work at an LEA setting. We struggle on so many levels : (
    We have high level numbers of SEN children who need 1:1, we used to get extra staff in to support this, however we now do it in house so the existing staff who are key workers have to support 1:1’s. This impacts massively as you can’t support your key group to settle, see what they’re doing, extend their learning or at the least interact with them.
    When I commenced this role many years ago children had to be toilet trained to attend, now days most are not which has a massive impact.
    Our ratio looks healthy on paper as we’re not full, however if you have 3 staff on a 1:1, 4 areas to man, Someone doing interventions, someone doing IEP’s, someone doing snack, children to change, accidents to deal with, observations to write. dealing with challenging behaviour, the list is endless. I miss reading stories, role playing with the children & delivering a quality education & experience. We try to discuss this with our Head teacher & Lead staff but are told were in ratio ( I get they have pressures from above, lack of funding, targets to meet, etc & I know it’s not like it used to be)
    Sadly staff are all unhappy, morale is low. We feel were in a sinking ship but no one is listening. I’ve done this role for over 24 years, obtained my early years degree in 2017 but I’m now looking at changing career, the job makes me stressed, anxious & exhausted : (

    Reply

    • 10 Biggest Challenges You Face Working In Childcare - Early Years Careers (6)Kiki says

      I have just read this post and I feel exactly the same way. The job has massively changed, the expectations are increasing by the minute. 1140 hours being implemented was the worst theming they could have done!
      I am actually relieved to see other people feel the same way!!

      Reply

  3. 10 Biggest Challenges You Face Working In Childcare - Early Years Careers (7)Barb says

    If they don’t interview well that tell me that there is a cultural issues in the Childcare industry and a lack of leadership. My involvement with/in childcare show that there is little progression within the industry. Lack of continual improvement with regards to processes and procedures. It was only 2020 during a pandemic that childcare centers started to include hand sanitizers on site. Why was not this included earlier? This is just an example of how backward thinking childcare centres are. No Vision no leadership. Its we as the users of the services that need to pay increased costs.

    Childcare centres have a long way to go and it starts from within the organisation and from leaders who can hire the right staff.

    Google “YMCA royal commission” and you will see how poor the organisation was with its processes. I don’t think much has changed since.

    Reply

  4. 10 Biggest Challenges You Face Working In Childcare - Early Years Careers (8)saffron says

    Interviewing staff and they interview well but don’t come out as well when they start work!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

10 Biggest Challenges You Face Working In Childcare - Early Years Careers (2024)

FAQs

10 Biggest Challenges You Face Working In Childcare - Early Years Careers? ›

Childcare educators often face a demanding workload, balancing lesson planning, supervision, and administrative tasks.

What are three challenges you might face while working in any childcare career? ›

Childcare educators often face a demanding workload, balancing lesson planning, supervision, and administrative tasks.

What's your biggest challenge as an early childhood educator? ›

As a preschool teacher, you face several new and unique challenges on an everyday basis. You often find yourself struggling with establishing the right curriculum, dealing with the different needs of toddlers at the same time, and communicating minor details about the kids with the parents.

What is the biggest problem in early childhood education? ›

Early childhood education is critical in shaping children's cognitive, social, and emotional development. However, it faces various challenges, including inadequate funding, teacher shortages, and training limitations. These challenges can significantly affect children's overall well-being and future success.

What is most challenging working with children? ›

Managing behavior and discipline

Children, especially younger ones, can sometimes be difficult to manage and control. It's important to set clear expectations and boundaries, as well as to establish a consistent routine and structure for the children.

What is the hardest part of working with children? ›

Some kids will have difficulties such as learning, speech, behavioral, and emotional. You have to remain impartial to the fights and the arguments because there will be some. It is not easy teaching kids right from wrong and teaching them the do's and don'ts of society. While also respecting the parents wishes.

What is the real challenge that early childhood educators face today? ›

Many of the problems faced by kindergarten teachers and preschool teachers alike are financial in nature (like low pay and a lack of resources). As a society, we must be willing to invest in our future This means opening our wallets to support early childhood educators and the children they're responsible for teaching.

What are the challenges of preschoolers? ›

Fighting over toys, temper tantrums, aggression on the playground or in the classroom: these are routine behaviors among the preschool set. The period between ages 2 and 5 is one of extreme, rapid developmental change, and young children make these transitions with varying degrees of speed and ease.

What are your weakness in childcare? ›

In your response, try to avoid describing weaknesses that present you as unmotivated or lazy. Instead, think of something that shows you're hardworking and passionate about your career. Your strengths are where you can really sell yourself.

What are the challenges faced while handling children? ›

Handling child's rudeness and hate

Some children are very stubborn and can become rude if you don't grant them their wish. However, this is really hurtful for parents. Kids these days use such words as tactics to manipulate parents and accept their demands.

How stressful is working in childcare? ›

Working with children is hard and can be emotionally and physically draining. If your child care staff is experiencing burnout, then it is a sign that something in their work environment needs to improve or change. Fortunately, most teachers love what they do.

What are three critical challenges impacting early childhood? ›

Three critical challenges impacting early childhood practices are: addressing disparities in school success and achievement; integrating and aligning preschool and elementary school programming; and improving teacher preparation, professional development and ongoing support.

How do you overcome challenges in early childhood education? ›

Additionally, utilizing technology and incorporating multisensory learning activities can help engage students and enhance their learning experience. By implementing these approaches, early childhood educators can effectively address and overcome learning challenges in their classrooms.

What is the hardest part about being a preschool teacher? ›

The hardest part of their job is often the responsibility of ensuring the safety, wellbeing, and development of very young children who are still learning to navigate the world around them.

What is one of the main issues in early childhood assessment? ›

Young children can be easily distracted and may have difficulty controlling their behavior during testing situations. Standardized measures used with preschool children have poorer reliability and validity than when used with school-age children.

What challenges are there in childcare? ›

Top 12 Challenges Faced by Childcare Owners
  • Non-compliance in licensing.
  • Childcare paperwork.
  • Poor progress tracking.
  • Subpar health standards.
  • Lack of communication with guardians.
  • Ineffective incident reporting.
  • Safety measures not in place.
  • Understaffing.

What do you think would be the top 3 challenges for you in this job? ›

Example Answers
  • Knowledge gap. While I'm very confident about managing the workload, I haven't used this data processing software before. ...
  • Inexperience. I'm really excited about leading this project, but I'm aware that there will be some challenges. ...
  • Company culture.

What three challenges do you currently face in the workplace? ›

The following are some common workplace challenges you may face and how you can deal with them:
  • Lack of communication. ...
  • Performance issues. ...
  • Lack of employee recognition. ...
  • Lack of transparency in leadership. ...
  • Motivation and engagement levels. ...
  • Conflict management.
Mar 11, 2023

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Prof. Nancy Dach

Last Updated:

Views: 6102

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (57 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Prof. Nancy Dach

Birthday: 1993-08-23

Address: 569 Waelchi Ports, South Blainebury, LA 11589

Phone: +9958996486049

Job: Sales Manager

Hobby: Web surfing, Scuba diving, Mountaineering, Writing, Sailing, Dance, Blacksmithing

Introduction: My name is Prof. Nancy Dach, I am a lively, joyous, courageous, lovely, tender, charming, open person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.