One of the trends identified concerns the hiring and retention of teachers. Ligon writes,

“Following the post-COVID years that brought acute labor shortages and increased student behavioral challenges, providers consistently report easing labor availability, although at much higher wages. Programs designed to increase training for less experienced staff and improve the employment experience appear to be paying off as retention is noted as strong almost universally. Feedback indicates it has become much easier to fill roles, and staff isn’t turning over with the velocity seen in years past.” Throughout the article she quotes a number of leaders of the Top Fifty organizations. For example, Wes Wooten of The Sunshine House Inc., has this to say about teacher hiring and retention:

“Across the industry, the workforce is less experienced than ever, and we are reacting to that challenge. Our investment in professional development continues to grow as we try to give our teammates the skills they need to be successful. We will continue this investment in 2026 in our effort to attract and retain teachers and classroom staff.”

One of the resources Exchange has developed to support ECE leaders in their vitality important role, is The Art of Leadership Series. One of the books in the series, Developing People, provides a number of tools for teacher professional development. For example, one article helps leaders approach conflict between staff in a productive way. Here’s an excerpt:

“Disagreements are a part of life and are to be expected. It’s important to help people understand how disagreements can be expressed and heard in a positive way without ‘taking it personally.’ When disagreements are consistently placed on the table for discussion, with all issues fair game, Dan Bobinski, author of Creating Passion-driven Teams, defines this as healthy conflict. When conflict is suppressed and kept unspoken, Bobinski defines this as tension. The leader’s goal should be to encourage and teach healthy conflict resolution, while discouraging unhealthy tension among people.”