Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/hiring-and-retaining-male-staff-men-in-child-care-part-2/5012566/
"We advertise for teachers all the time but no men ever apply.""We have one male teacher but I'm afraid he'll leave our program."
Directors who make these comments acknowledge the challenges in hiring and retaining male staff. While there are relatively small numbers of well-qualified men who can teach young children, there are also effective ways of recruiting them.
Hiring men requires a change in recruitment strategies, and retaining men requires a change in work-place practices. Yet an intentional approach to recruiting and supporting male staff can be successful - and the results can make your program more diverse and responsive to the needs of young children.
Advertising for Men
Due to the cost of classified advertisements, most programs keep the wording to a minimum, speaking only to the most important or required qualifications of education and experience. When additional descriptive words are used, it is to acknowledge something about the nature of the work - such as using the word energetic, which speaks to the physically demanding nature of the work in the most cheery way possible.
Occasionally, other descriptors are used, and these most commonly include nurturing, caring, affectionate, and gentle. These are important characteristics, and most programs have many staff who ...