Burnout in early childhood education: Why leadership support is the missing lever

Early childhood educators have one of the most important jobs in Australia. We trust them to keep our kids safe, to educate them in their most formative years, and to care for them when we can’t do it ourselves. And far too often, educators are doing it all on empty.

This is a sector built on courageous leadership at every level. Educators and leaders show up every day for children and families while navigating significant sector change, increasing regulation and ongoing funding reform. That emotional investment is one of the great strengths of early childhood education in Australia.                      

Unfortunately, it can also come at a cost.

Far too many early childhood educators are burnt out from years of giving more than the system gives back. All we need to do is look at the workforce data to see the impact, turnover sits at around 30 per cent annually, and research suggests that one in three early childhood professionals intend to leave the profession altogether. 

Recent findings from the University of Sydney also show that educators spend less than 30 per cent of their time in focused interaction with children. When the majority of your time is pulled away from the very reason you entered the profession, something is misaligned.

These challenges might seem isolated on the surface, but in reality, they are tightly connected, and they all lead back to one fundamental force: leadership.

Leaders sit at the centre of culture in any organisation, and the early childhood sector is no different. They shape the conditions educators work in, the pace teams operate at, and whether people feel supported or simply survive the week.

The problem is that early childhood leaders are often operating under the same strain, just with more responsibility and fewer places to put it down.

So, where do we go from here?

The pressure leaders are under

In my coaching work with early childhood leaders, I’ve seen how trying to “keep all the plates spinning” can quickly become overwhelming when everything feels high stakes.

The reality my clients describe isn’t a single stressor. It’s reform, regulation, funding pressure and workforce shortages converging at once. That 30 per cent annual turnover rate fuels constant cultural change within services, and constant change without the right support causes instability. 

Is it any wonder that when leaders are juggling service delivery, educators, families, children, compliance, financial stability and quality outcomes, a few plates eventually hit the floor?

This is the reality we need to address: While educator wellbeing is rightly prioritised, the wellbeing of leaders themselves is often overlooked. Frequently expected to be the Jacks and Jills of all trades, the pressure of these unsustainable workloads eventually flows on to impact culture, decision-making and retention.

We’re currently staring down the barrel of critical early childhood workforce shortages, and the only way we’ll stabilise and strengthen the sector is by investing in the leaders who shape its culture from the inside out.

Three core focus areas for sustainable leadership

It will come as no surprise that there is no single solution to addressing burnout or undoing years of accumulated pressure. However, there are three core tactics that early childhood leaders can use to get themselves on the right path.

1. Focus on what is within their control

Funding bodies, sector reform, regulatory requirements, families’ out-of-care experiences and recruitment pipelines… Leaders can spend enormous energy trying to influence systems that simply won’t move.

Establishing firm boundaries and clear priorities is essential. When leaders focus on what they can influence, like team culture, delegation, communication and capability, they regain clarity and agency. 

2. Delegate authority and decision-making where possible

Leadership does not have to mean carrying everything alone. Yet many leaders operate as though it does, often without even realising it.

Empowering others within teams helps build leadership capability and strengthen culture, while enabling a more strategic approach at the leadership level. Distributed leadership builds resilience within services and reduces the concentration of pressure in a single role.

3. Prioritise energy management for the long term

Sustaining leadership requires managing energy over time, rather than operating in a constant daily sprint.

Time management supports output. Energy management supports longevity. You might be able to sprint through a week, but you cannot sprint through a career.

A strategic lever for sector-wide improvement

When early childhood education thrives, so do our communities. Investing in leadership models that can be sustained over years, rather than simply endured through busy periods, is an investment in the future of the sector and the communities it serves.

Supporting early childhood leaders is not simply about individual wellbeing. It is a critical lever for addressing systemic challenges and improving outcomes across the entire sector.

If we are serious about strengthening early childhood education, we must invest in sustainable leadership support and wellbeing for early childhood education leaders. Not as a reactive measure when numbers decline, but as core infrastructure for a sector that underpins every other part of our economy and community.

Author

Nick Orchard, Founder of The Big Refresh. He is an IECL-certified performance coach with nearly 1,500 hours of coaching practice and a background spanning government, non-profit leadership, teaching, and even a stint as a hip-hop artist.